Department of Health and Social Care

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research he has commissioned into the potential effect of electro-magnetic radiation on people in local communities.

Steve Brine: In the United Kingdom, the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) commissioned and managed an extensive and comprehensive programme of work that ran for 11 years until 2012. MTHR was jointly funded by the Government and industry. The Government continues to support research on this topic, including the ongoing Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health and the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phone studies at Imperial College London. Public Health England (PHE) advises that the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines, which already underpin Government policy on these matters, provide protection for local communities; the conclusions arising from research to date are reflected in this advice. Measurements made by Ofcom and PHE have shown that exposures of the general public living near to mobile phone masts are well within the ICNIRP levels. Further information is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electromagnetic-fieldsPHE has committed to keeping emerging evidence on these matters under review.

Defibrillators

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many automated external defibrillators have been purchased via the NHS supply chain for (a) schools (b) academies (c) sixth-form and further education colleges (d) independent schools (e) maintained nursery schools (f) pre-school establishments (g) independent nurseries (h) playgroups (i) holiday and out-of-school providers (j) local authorities and (k) parent associations.

Steve Brine: The information is contained in the table below. The figures cover all purchases made via the Defibrillators for Schools programme since it started in November 2014 through to 31 January 2018. The categorisation is based on information provided by the schools or by research conducted by NHS Supply Chain. Education SectorNumber of Defibrillators purchasedSchools1,930Academies4336th Form91Independent Schools36Nursery Schools82Preschool0Independent Nurseries30Playgroups7Holiday Providers4Local Authorities111Parent Associations0Total2,724

Heart Diseases: Screening

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee will next review whether to recommend screening to prevent sudden cardiac death in 12 to 39-year-olds.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) will review the evidence for screening for the major causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people between the ages of 12 to 39 years in 2018/19 as per its three yearly cycle. The UK NSC last reviewed screening for SCD in 2015 and recommended that screening should not be offered.

Drugs: Manufacturing Industries

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with medicines manufacturers on the cost and ongoing viability of the production of medicines which currently have shared medicine packs with multiple EU countries.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with medicines manufacturers on the minimum implementation period required to implement regulatory and business operations changes after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are in regular contact with the pharmaceutical industry through the Ministerial and industry co-chaired United Kingdom-European Union Life Sciences Steering Group. Outside of this group we have consistent contact with industry and research charities. These discussions have included issues associated with shared packs and the implementation period for required regulatory and business operations changes post-Brexit. We will continue to discuss how disruption arising from our leaving the EU can be minimised for industry and supply to patients in the UK and European Member States. The UK is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners, and as part of the negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medicines regulation (including with the European Medicines Agency). Our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines, and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data.

Ankylosing Spondylitis and Arthritis

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  pursuant to the Answer of 22 December to Question 119911 on Ankylosing Spondylitis and Arthritis , when NHS England plans to announce its next steps in relation to the recommendations it was presented with on 1 December 2017 by the data advisory group, led by Arthritis Research UK; and whether there will be a wider consultation on the opportunities for improved routine data collection on musculoskeletal incidence, prevalence, clinical activity, and outcomes.

Steve Brine: NHS England’s work to consider the recommendations of the data advisory group is ongoing. Information on the next steps will be available in due course.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that sexual health services are (a) adequately funded, (b) sustainable and (c) accessible.

Steve Brine: The Department has mandated local authorities to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services, including free sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, notification of sexual partners of infected persons and free provision of contraception. We are investing more than £16 billion in the provision of local authority public health services, including sexual health services, during the current spending period. In August 2017, Public Health England (PHE) published a report, ‘Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV: A Review of Commissioning’, which identifies the commissioning challenges faced by commissioners and providers, and sets out an action plan that aims to reduce fragmentation of commissioning and resolve contracting systems barriers. As part of the action plan, PHE will take forward a range of activities aimed at strengthening commissioning. These activities include providing evidence and data to commissioners to support commissioning and the monitoring of outcomes, and building capacity and capability in sexual and reproductive health commissioning. The report can be viewed online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/640578/Sexual_health_reproductive_health_and_HIV_a_survey_of_commissioning.pdf

HIV Infection

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the social care (a) needs of and (b) provision for people aged 50 and over who are living with HIV.

Steve Brine: It is for local authorities to decide upon the appropriate provision of social care services for people aged 50 and over who are living with HIV, based on individual need and local circumstances. Local authorities are subject to the Public Sector Equality duty, which requires them to take steps to meet the needs of people with protected characteristics, including people living with HIV, where they are different from the needs of others, and to minimise or remove disadvantages resulting from protected characteristics. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that, when someone has been assessed as being eligible for care and support, services are commissioned to meet those needs.

Food: Advertising

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the potential merits of restricting children from junk food marketing and (b) trends in that marketing.

Steve Brine: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd on 12 December 2017 to Question 117281.

Food: Prices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of junk food price promotions on public health.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he had made on the effect of confectionary price promotions on children’s health and well-being.

Steve Brine: In August 2017 we announced £5 million investment in a policy research unit on childhood obesity to provide a robust evidence, evaluation and research capability including looking at the impact of marketing, including promotions, on childhood obesity. Alongside this, monitoring of progress by Public Health England (PHE) towards achieving the 20% sugar reduction in 2018, 2019 and 2020, will be achieved through the continued use of sales weighted average sugar levels and reviewing changes in product sales towards lower or no added sugar products. If businesses over promote high sugar products they will be less likely to achieve the sales weighted average sugar level per 100 grams for the 20% reduction. PHE’s first report will be published next month. All reports and data published on progress in delivering our world-leading childhood obesity plan will be open to scrutiny. We will use this to determine whether sufficient progress has been made and whether alternative levers need to be considered.

Nurses: Training

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of Advanced Practitioners who have been trained for children’s nursing in the community since 2015.

Stephen Barclay: Health Education England (HEE) collect national aggregate level information on the total number of Advanced Practitioners that they commission. This data is not collected to the level requested. In the period 2016/17 the number of Advanced Practitioners commissioned nationally by HEE was 1,000. Individual trusts will also commission Advanced Practitioners courses which is not included in the HEE data.

GP at Hand

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 114583, if he will provide an update on the number of patients who have registered with the GP at Hand service to date.

Steve Brine: According to NHS England, there have been approximately 14,000 additional patients signed up with the GP at Hand Service since July 2017.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many emergency presentations there were of blood cancer; what proportion of those presentations were of all diagnoses of blood cancer; and what proportion those were of the total of all emergency presentations of cancer in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of trends in the instances of blood cancer being diagnosed after an emergency admission; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: In 2015, the latest year for which data are available, the percentage of patients diagnosed after an emergency presentation in England for all blood cancers was 28% (7,626 of 26,869). There has been a fall in the percentage diagnosed through this emergency presentation route over the last 10 years for some of these cancers: chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (26% in 2006 down to 13% in 2015), multiple myeloma (37% down to 31%), and other haematological malignancies (37% down to 25%). The proportion over time in the other groups remained relatively stable. As a proportion of all emergency diagnoses, the proportion of blood cancers diagnosed as an emergency was 12% in 2011 and 13% in each of 2012-2015.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether diagnostic centres established as a result of the Cancer Strategy for England take specific account of blood cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The wave two of the Accelerate, Coordination and Evaluation (ACE) programme is testing a new multi-disciplinary diagnostic centre approach to diagnosing patients with vague or unclear but concerning symptoms, often characteristic of hard to diagnose cancers like blood cancers. This approach aims to ensure that patients can receive a suite of tests, reducing the risk that patients receive multiple different referrals for the same problem. The ACE programme has established ten pilot Rapid Diagnostic Assessment Centres across five areas of the country.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people diagnosed with blood cancer have had access to a clinical nurse specialist in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England does not collect this information centrally.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to include blood cancer diagnoses as part of the cancer dashboard.

Steve Brine: Public Health England and NHS England developed the first iteration of the cancer dashboard in response to recommendations in the Independent Cancer Taskforce report ‘Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020’. This includes data on breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers. Further cancer sites (including blood cancer) were not included because of the risk of making patients identifiable when viewing data for individual hospitals or clinical commissioning groups. A second iteration of the dashboard is being developed by NHS Digital and NHS England with a wider ambition to include rarer cancers and cancers with a lower incidence, such a blood cancers, as the dashboard develops.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, Haematological cancers: Improving outcomes (NG 47); and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Currently there has been no assessment of NG47.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS specialist haematological cancer posts have been vacant in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The information is not available in the format requested. In December Health Education England published a cancer workforce plan for England which sets out how the National Health Service will ensure it has access to the cancer workforce it needs to 2021. The cancer workforce plan is available at the following link: www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Cancer%20Workforce%20Strategy%20Graphs%20and%20tables%20FINAL.pdf

Pharmacy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many improvement notices relating to the standards required of pharmacy premises have been issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has not issued any improvement notices relating to the standards required of pharmacy premises to date. All pharmacies that are not meeting one or more of the standards are required by the GPhC to complete and implement an improvement action plan. In the year 2016-17, the GPhC reports that it agreed 469 action plans.

Pharmacy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the robustness of the vertically integrated community pharmacy network and the medicines distributions chain and the effect on patients of the failure of one part of that network.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made. A failure in the distribution network that occurred in 2017 due to a computer issue was examined in detail by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency with the company concerned. The lessons learned from that disruption have been shared with all major distributors to increase the resilience of the network.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment of corporate governance he has made of private businesses that supply medicines and pharmacy services to the NHS.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made. The General Pharmaceutical Council has however issued standards for registered pharmacies which include standards for governance arrangements.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of profit by pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers on the five most (a) used and (b) expensive drugs purchased by the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold information about profits at product level.

Pharmacy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on competition and the availability of medicines across the community pharmacy network by the use of sole supplier agreements by branded manufacturers and wholesalers; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The majority of products supplied through restricted wholesale models are branded medicines, for which prices are controlled by the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. The Department, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders agreed best practice guidelines for dealing with the supply and distribution of medicines, which set out that where restricted wholesale models are in place, manufacturers should put contingency arrangements in place so that pharmacies can obtain the product directly from the manufacturer if they cannot get it from their wholesaler. The Office of Fair Trading conducted a market study about medicines distribution in 2007 and concluded that there may be efficiency benefits to direct-to-pharmacy distribution and took the view that manufacturers should be free to choose the distribution method they consider to be most efficient.

Pharmacy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on competition and the availability of medicines across the community pharmacy network of the operation of vertically integrated wholesaler and pharmacy businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the tender for the grant scheme to support delivery of the new Tobacco Control Plan will be published.

Steve Brine: No date has been set for publication of a tender for a grant scheme to support delivery of the Tobacco Control Plan. Any grant will be competed for, in line with Cabinet Office standards for new grants.

World Conference on Tobacco or Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a delegation from his Department or any Departmental agency plans to attend the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: As a recognised world leader in tobacco control, the Department and Public Health England (PHE) will send a delegation to the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, scheduled to take place in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2018. The Department’s representative will speak at several events during the conference to talk about the United Kingdom’s tobacco control strategy, as well as attending a meeting of the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum before the Conference begins. The PHE representatives will also speak at the Conference as well as running a workshop on tobacco control for representatives of the Overseas Territories in advance of the Conference.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the previous Public Health Minister instructed officials to change the grant deliverables in the contract awarded to Action on Smoking and Health in 2016-17.

Steve Brine: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 January 2018 to Question 120851.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of the grants provided to any academic institution on tobacco control including the (a) purpose and (b) amount of each grant in each of the last ten years.

Steve Brine: Health and care research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). A list of relevant projects funded by NIHR is attached.



PQ126431 attached table
(Word Document, 15.93 KB)

Coperforma

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 123750 and with reference to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51429, whether the advice that was provided to him by NHS England which is contained in the latter Answer that National Health Service trusts that had incurred costs had invoiced Coperforma directly was updated after 5 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The advice given to the Department by NHS England was confirmed on 26 January 2018.

Social Services: Police

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on improving collaboration between police forces and social care providers.

Caroline Dinenage: Collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office was a key part of developing the Care Act 2014. The Care Act 2014 highlights the need for partnership and cooperation in the prevention of abuse or neglect. Workers across a wide range of organisations need to be vigilant about adult safeguarding and share information or concerns, whether they be in health and social care, welfare, policing, banking, fire and rescue services and trading standards, leisure services, faith groups, or housing.

Blood: Contamination

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the time taken to award victims of the contaminated blood scandal  compensation.

Jackie Doyle-Price: A small number of compensation payments have been paid to a number of people affected by infected blood where out of court settlements have been agreed or the courts awarded compensation under the Consumer Protection Act. As liability has not been established in the majority of cases, most support for affected individuals has been and continues to be provided through Government funded ex-gratia payments set up for people who have been affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products.

Blood: Contamination

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial arrangements his Department has put place with the Welsh Government to support Welsh victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Decisions on levels of support provided to those who were infected in Wales are for the Welsh Ministers to make. On 1 November 2017 a new scheme to support those infected in Wales was launched.

Air Pollution

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is planning to fund a public health campaign to let people know how to protect themselves against the effects of air pollution.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make sure the best evidence and information is available to the public. Public Health England (PHE) has developed a work programme to support national and local actions to reduce the health burden in England attributable to air pollution. The programme includes raising awareness of the health effects of air pollution and supporting related work of national and local Government. In addition, the Department, NHS England and PHE’s Health and Wellbeing Alliance are undertaking a feasibility study on behavioural insights, which aims to improve understanding of how people, particularly vulnerable populations, best receive communications during localised events of elevated air pollution. Results are expected later this year. Currently, PHE disseminates Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs United Kingdom Air Information Resource’s tweets issued during significant high air pollution episodes through PHE’s social media account.

Cerebral Palsy: Screening

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial savings to (a) health, (b) social care services and (c) education services of the early identification of cerebral palsy.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidelines in January 2017 on the assessment and management of cerebral palsy. This provides authoritative, evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals in identifying the early signs of cerebral palsy. Further information can be found via the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62Further to this, as part of the mandated reviews, health visitors (specialised nurses or midwives) assess the development of children between 0-5 years. They are skilled in early identification of delays, or concerns, in development. In such circumstances they will make a referral to a community paediatrician who will be able to diagnose any conditions, including cerebral palsy.

Dementia: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in London are on the Quality and Outcomes Framework dementia register; and what the raw prevalence rate for dementia in London is.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on the number of patients recorded on the Quality and Outcomes Framework dementia register in London, and the estimated prevalence rate for dementia in London, are given in the table below. The data provided is for the latest reporting year, 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, and covers all general practices that participated in the Quality and Outcomes Framework. Region nameRegister (count)Prevalence (%)London49,0170.51Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework, England, 2016-17, NHS Digital

Diabetes

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the proportion of (a) children and (b) adults who were Type 2 diabetic in (i) London and (ii) England in (A) 2016 and (B) 2017.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of children with Type 2 diabetes in London and England for the years 2016 and 2017 is not centrally held. NHS Digital was able to provide the following data that details the number of people (aged 17 and over) and the proportion of the total population (aged 17 and over) with Type 2 and other diabetes in London and England in the period 2016-17. The data was collected as part of the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) 2016-17. NHS England London region (32 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)) NumeratorNumber of people (17+) with Type 2 and other diabetes434,069DenominatorNumber of people (17+) registered with a general practitioner (GP) practice17,379,940  5.88% Note: 1London GP list sizes for people aged 17 and over (for practices who participated in the NDA 2016-17), taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).  England (207 CCGs, plus people with no recorded CCG) NumeratorNumber of people (17+) with Type 2 and other diabetes2,678,711DenominatorNumber of people (17+) registered with a GP practice144,619,087  6.00% Note:1England GP list sizes for people aged 17 and over (for practices who participated in the NDA 2016-17), taken from the QOF. Definitions:- Aged 17 and over is used for this measure because the list sizes in the denominator are based on the QOF which uses the aged 17 and over population. - The denominators are limited to the GP practices that participated in the NDA 2016-17 (95.3% GP practice participation across England and Wales). A small number of GP practice list sizes do not appear in QOF and, therefore, do not appear in the denominator(s).

Orkambi

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Kalydeco as a treatment for people with cystic fibrosis.

Steve Brine: During the last five years, NHS England commissioned a health technology assessment to review the clinical evidence for Kalydeco (Ivacaftor) and decided at the time that it would support its use to treat one gene mutation. Subsequently it has broadened use for other gene mutations following further evidence reviews. For commissioned drugs such as Kalydeco (Ivacaftor) for named mutations, prescribing decisions are made by multidisciplinary teams in hospitals commissioned by NHS England to provide specialised services for adults and children with cystic fibrosis. NHS England is investing significant resources into the provision of Kalydeco which works directly on the genes causing cystic fibrosis and in medicines that reduce the impact of the disease. NHS England and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust jointly collect outcomes data through the Cystic Fibrosis Registry to inform better management of the disease. Information about specialised National Health Service commissioning is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-a/a01/

Hepatitis

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to create a national strategy to help achieve the World Health Organisation's target of eliminating Hepatitis C by 2030.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to meeting the World Health Organization target of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030 but there are no plans at this time to publish a Government strategy to eliminate hepatitis C. A variety of initiatives are underway in England to improve awareness and case finding, re-engagement and linkage to care, especially in drug services, primary care, prisons and accident and emergency centres. In addition, NHS England is funding access to new hepatitis C treatments in accordance with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Food: Labelling

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to introduce mandatory front of pack traffic light labelling for all pre-packaged food in the UK.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to regulate food labelling after the UK leaves the EU.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement the commitment in the childhood obesity plan to review sugar labelling on pre-packaged foods.

Steve Brine: Mandatory nutrition labelling for the majority of pre-packaged foods came into effect in December 2016 and is harmonised by European Union legislation. The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU may give us an opportunity to develop greater flexibility, as the exit terms are agreed, to determine what information should be presented and how it should be displayed in the UK. There are ongoing discussions between officials in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the labelling of food and drink.

General Practitioners: Training

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals for a single tariff price for primary care undergraduate placements.

Steve Brine: The Department and Health Education England (HEE) are currently working together to develop a consistent and transparent payment mechanism for placements in primary care settings. Further information around the proposed funding arrangements for 2018-19 will be confirmed in March 2018 as part of the HEE budget setting process.

General Practitioners: Training

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce a nationwide campaign to promote general practice as a career.

Steve Brine: Health Education England (HEE) is in its third year of a campaign promoting the benefits of a career as a general practitioner (GP) in England. HEE launched the ‘There’s nothing general about general practice’ campaign in 2015 to help raise awareness and inspire and inform young medics about a career in general practice. In 2017, the strapline was changed to 'One career, endless opportunities. Choose GP’.

NHS: Smoking

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ban smoking on all NHS premises.

Steve Brine: The Department supports the implementation of smokefree policies across all hospitals in England. The Government’s tobacco control plan for England published in July 2017 reiterates our ambition to achieve smokefree mental health services by the end of 2018 and to see all National Health Service estates becoming smoke-free by 2019/20, as set out in NHS England’s ‘Next steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View’ mandate.

Medical Records: Databases

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish NHS Digital's assessment of the performance of EMIS against its service level agreement governing the supply of electronic patient record systems.

Jackie Doyle-Price: I refer the hon. Member to my Written Ministerial Statement to the house on 18 January 2018 HCWS406. On Monday 15 January 2018 EMIS Group PLC notified NHS Digital regarding under-reporting of issues with their general practice clinical systems provided under the General Practice Systems of Choice contract. A detailed investigation by NHS Digital is ongoing, and we will provide a further update to Parliament once this important work is complete.

Piperacillin-tazobactam

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the NHS guidelines are for prescribing the drug Tazocin; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Guidelines for Tazocin (piperacillin and tazobactam) use are prepared by individual hospitals based on their local microbiological resistance data. In response to a recent global shortage of piperacillin/tazobactam, the Government’s advisory committee on Antimicrobial Prescribing, Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection produced guidance on its use and suitable alternatives. This can be found at: http://bsac.org.uk/dh-advises-on-piperacillin-taxobactam-injection-supply-problems/ Piperacillin and tazobactam usage is associated with increased development of antimicrobial resistance and reduction in its use is encouraged through the NHS quality improvement scheme. More information is available via: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-standard-contract/cquin/cquin-17-19/

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the most recent results of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to improve the training for healthcare professionals to ensure that people with blood cancer understand their diagnosis.

Steve Brine: Health Education England, alongside NHS England, has recently published the Cancer Workforce plan, which sets out the steps to transform the cancer workforce in line with the independent cancer taskforce recommendations. This will aim to improve patient outcomes and deliver a better patient experience across all tumour types, including haematological cancers. The report sets out the plan for improving the training of healthcare professionals, as well as recruitment and retention plans. The report can be found at:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events/hee-news/health-education-england-unveils-plan-transform-future-nhs-cancer-workforce

Air Pollution

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Government on steps to ensure that information concerning levels of air pollution reaches children, parents and schools; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care, including Public Health England (PHE), is fully engaged in discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the development of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy at ministerial and official level. Communication of the best information and advice on air pollution to protect vulnerable groups, including children, will be an important part of the implementation of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy. The Department, NHS England and PHE’s Health and Wellbeing Alliance are undertaking a feasibility study on behavioural insights, which aims to improve understanding of how people, particularly vulnerable populations, best receive communications during localised events of elevated air pollution. This includes children, parents and schools. Results are expected later this year. Currently, PHE disseminates Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs United Kingdom Air Information Resource’s tweets issued during significant high air pollution episodes through PHE’s social media account.

Depressive Illnesses

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the second consultation on the Nice guidelines for depression in adults will be (a) launched and (b) completed.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently updating its clinical guideline on the treatment and management of depression in adults. A consultation was held between July and September 2017 and NICE is considering the comments received. NICE is currently working to finalise a launch and completion date.

Pupils: Exercise

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made under its Childhood Obesity Plan to develop an interactive online tool for schools to help plan opportunities for children to be physically active.

Steve Brine: The Active School Planner was launched in October 2017. This interactive online tool will help schools identify gaps in the existing opportunities for children to be active and will recommend a number of solutions they can choose, for example after school clubs, initiatives such as the daily mile, creating an active playground or having an active lesson. The tool is available at: www.activeschoolplanner.org/

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness of complex regional pain syndrome among (a) healthcare professionals and (b) members of the public.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to healthcare professionals to diagnose of complex regional pain syndrome.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to classify complex regional pain syndrome as a long-term condition; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) has been a recognised medical condition for over 150 years. It is a debilitating, painful condition in a limb, associated with sensory, motor, skin and bone abnormalities, and there is no cure. Although in some cases sufferers make gradual recovery, for others the condition is ongoing. A long-term condition (LTC) can be defined as a condition that cannot be cured but can be managed through the use of medication and/or therapy, and by that definition CRPS is an LTC. In terms of awareness, NHS Choices provides useful information and advice for the public on CRPS; its symptoms and causes and treatment. To support clinicians in diagnosing and managing the condition, guidance on CRPS is available from authoritative professional sources, including the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, one of the leading centres in the United Kingdom for CRPS. More information on these CRPS resources can be found at the following links: www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/pain-complex-regional-pain-syndromewww.rnhrd.nhs.uk/page/79

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Research

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into complex regional pain syndrome.

Steve Brine: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including complex regional pain syndrome. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at:https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to extend the HPV vaccine to adolescent boys; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is currently considering whether the human papillomavirus vaccination programme for girls should be extended to include adolescent boys. The Department will consider its final advice once it has been received.

General Practitioners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce the workload on GPs.

Steve Brine: The General Practice Forward View (GP Forward View) commits to an extra £2.4 billion a year to support general practice services by 2020/21. This is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/gpfv/ As part of this package NHS England is investing £500 million in a national sustainability and transformation package to support GP practices, which includes plans to reduce workload. The plan was developed with the Royal College of General Practitioners and Health Education England. In early 2016, NHS England launched the 10 high impact actions to release time for care including: active signposting for patients to the most appropriate help; new consultation types; reducing the number of Do Not Attends appointment slots; developing the team; introducing new ways of working which enable staff to work smarter; supporting staff to develop; partnership working; social prescribing such as referring and signposting to non-medical services that support wellbeing; supporting self-care for patients, and developing Quality Improvement expertise. The Time for Care programme provides support for groups of practices to implement these actions.

Care Homes: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps the Government has taken to improve the monitoring of the adequacy of care provided in care homes.

Caroline Dinenage: As at February 2018, 81% of social care organisations are rated by the Care Quality Commission as Good/Outstanding. However, it is completely unacceptable that standards in some settings fall below those rightly expected by care users and their families. The Government introduced tougher inspections of care services and councils have been given access in total to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding for social care between 2017/18 and 2019/20. This summer we will publish plans to reform our social care system to make it sustainable for the future. The consultation will set out options to put the social care system on a more secure footing and address issues to improve the quality of care and reduce variation in practice. The Department is also working with the adult social care sector to implement Quality Matters – a shared commitment to take action to achieve high quality adult social care through six actions.

Social Services: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people resident in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency who have unmet social care needs.

Caroline Dinenage: An estimate of the number of people resident in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency who have unmet social care needs is not held centrally. The Care Act 2014 requires that where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs the local authority must carry out an assessment. It must then decide if the person has eligible needs by considering the outcomes the person wants to achieve, what needs they have, and how these impact on their wellbeing. Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, local authorities should signpost people to relevant services.

Statins: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice is available from the NHS on the use of statins for people under 16 years of age.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for assessing new technologies and interventional procedures, as well as producing guidelines for best practice of treatment and care. Recommendations on the use of statins for people under 16 years of age have been published under NICE guidance “Familial hypercholesterolaemia: identification and management”.

Social Services

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department’s planned consultation on adult social care will include consideration of unfair care home contracts.

Caroline Dinenage: Any instance of unfair and harmful terms and conditions in care home contracts are unacceptable. The issue was highlighted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the final report of their care home market study published on 30 November 2017. It is right that the CMA is taking enforcement action where appropriate and we welcome that the CMA will provide guidance on consumer law for the adult social care sector. The CMA report set out important recommendations about what can be done to better protect care home residents from unfair practices. The Government will set out its response to the CMA’s recommendations on this issue.

Hip Replacements: Robotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the NHS has to make available robotic hip replacements.

Steve Brine: Robotic hip surgery is being developed and evaluated in a small number of centres. It is not yet routinely available in the National Health Service as the technology has not as yet proved its efficacy, safety and value over and above routine hip replacement which is already highly effective. Hip replacements are a clinical and cost effective healthcare intervention. Timescales for completion of the evaluation are yet to be set.

Prosopagnosia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with prosopagnosia in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: This data is not available.

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has been made of the potential increase in cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in children and adults that might occur from a change to the pneumococcal immunisation programme as a result of the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to move to a 1 plus 1 schedule at that Committee's meeting on 4 October 2017.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on herd protection against pneumococcal disease that might occur from a change to the pneumococcal immunisation programme as a result of the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to move to a 1 plus 1 schedule at that Committee's meeting on 4 October 2017.

Steve Brine: Public Health England has undertaken modelling on the impact of a reduced dose pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) schedule in the United Kingdom. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) reviewed the modelling in October 2017, and after considering all relevant evidence advised a revised schedule for PCV13 vaccine, with vaccination offered at three months and 12 months. The JCVI has undertaken a consultation on the advice; this was considered on 7 February 2018. The modelling which informed the advice will be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal in spring 2018.

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the post-implementation surveillance on the public health effect of a change to the pneumococcal immunisation programme that would be required as a result of the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to move to a 1 plus 1 schedule at that Committee's meeting on 4 October 2017.

Steve Brine: Public Health England conducts national invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance in England and Wales, with a national reference laboratory that serotypes nearly all invasive pneumococcal isolates. As part of its advice following its October 2017 meeting, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation agreed that any move to a 1+1 schedule would require maintenance of the high quality surveillance for pneumococcal disease currently in place, to ensure any changes in disease epidemiology were accurately captured in a timely manner.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Appleby

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has held discussions with Appleby or any of Appleby’s clients named in the Paradise Papers.

Mel Stride: This Government is clear that everyone has a responsibility to pay the tax that is owed. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot comment on individual cases, but it will investigate any allegations of wrongdoing brought to its attention.

Aircraft: Isle of Man

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to publish the review of the rules governing and the scrutiny of the private jets scheme on the Isle of Man.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury is currently carrying out its review into the Isle of Man’s administration of VAT in relation to aircraft and yachts. HM Treasury aims to complete the review in Spring 2018.

Money Laundering and Taxation: Malta

Liam Byrne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the EU Mission Report on the ad-hoc Delegation to Malta on 30 November 2017 to 1 December 2017, published in January 2018, what representations he has made to the Government of Malta on (a) money laundering, (b) tax avoidance and (c) tax evasion in the UK as a result of that country's sale of passports to investors.

John Glen: The UK believes that multilateral cooperation is essential in tackling money laundering, tax evasion and all forms of cross-border financial crime. The UK discusses these issues regularly at international fora, and through bilateral dialogues as appropriate.

Debt Rescheduling

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's call for evidence on proposals for breathing space for people experiencing debt problems, whether the statutory debt management plan will be available from (a) free to client and (b) commercial debt solutions providers.

John Glen: The Government wants to ensure that as many consumers who would benefit from a statutory debt management plan are able to do so. The Government will present a proposal on the design of a breathing space and statutory debt management plan this summer, based on responses to the Call for Evidence which closed on 16th January.

Debts

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on the adequacy of the information on FCA authorised and regulated commercial debt solutions providers in the information sheet sent by lenders to all customers in arrears under section 86 of the Consumer Credit Act and FCA Consumer Credit Sourcebook 7.3.7A.

John Glen: The Government is committed to ensuring that consumers who need to access free-to-user debt advice can do so quickly and easily. That is why the Government commissioned the Money Advice Service (MAS), which spent just under £49m on over 440,000 free-to-user debt advice sessions last year, and why the FCA’s information sheet signposts to this support. The Government is also merging MAS, PensionWise and The Pensions Advisory Service to create a new single financial guidance body, to make it simpler for consumers to access this support.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library, copies of the correspondence between his Department and LINK on proposals to reduce the interchange fee.

John Glen: It is not the Department’s policy to place copies of correspondence between it and third parties in the Library.

PAYE: Disclosure of Information

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 123005, if his Department will publish the findings of the Late, Missing and Incorrect joint initiative.

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 123005, what plans his Department has to produce an estimate of the number of RTI returns which are incorrect.

Mel Stride: The Late, Missing and Incorrect initiative commenced on 1 November 2017. As part of the Late, Missing and Incorrect Initiative, HMRC is using their data to understand the level of incorrect submissions in key RTI fields. HMRC will evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative as it progresses

Financial Services

Jeff Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 125390, how the £55 million fund for financial inclusion and capability initiatives will be allocated.

John Glen: The government recently announced that up to £330 million will be unlocked from dormant accounts, £55 million of which is set to be used for financial inclusion and capability initiatives. Further details on the allocation process for this £55 million will be released in the spring.

Companies: Tax Evasion

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies that were not SMEs were prosecuted for tax evasion since 2010.

Mel Stride: HMRC is not a prosecuting authority. They undertake investigations and work with the UK’s three independent prosecutors (England and Wales - Crown Prosecution Service; Scotland - Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; and Northern Ireland - Public Prosecution Service for NI) to achieve positive charging decisions against individuals, some of whom may hold positions within companies. In the Criminal Finances Act 2017, the Government introduced a corporate offence for all companies, including financial services firms, who fail to prevent tax evasion. This now gives HMRC the power to take criminal action against firms if they have not put in place reasonable procedures to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion by their employees.

Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies were prosecuted for failing to pay the minimum wage in 2017.

Mel Stride: The government are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. There was one successful prosecution for NMW offences in 2017. Prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance. It may cause delays in recovering arrears for workers and does not necessarily guarantee payment. HMRC therefore balances recovering NMW arrears for workers as quickly as possible with robust enforcement of NMW when deciding whether to pursue prosecution. There were four successful prosecutions for NMW offences in 2016. Other consequences for not complying with paying NMW may include fines of 200% of the underpayment and public naming.

Sanctions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suspected breaches of financial sanctions were reported to the Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in 2017; what the value was of those breaches; and how many investigations into breaches, by sanctions regime, have (a) been opened and (b) are ongoing since new powers to impose penalties under the Policing and Crime Act entered into force.

John Glen: A total of 118 suspected breach cases were reported to Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) during the calendar year of 2017. The approximate aggregate value of these suspected breaches was £117million. As of April 2017, a total of 84 suspected breaches have been reported to OFSI since OFSI gained the ability to impose monetary penalties under the Policing and Crime Act 2017- I am unable to comment further on ongoing assessments.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual administration costs are of (a) the childcare voucher scheme and (b) tax-free childcare.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of families eligible to receive Tax Free Childcare that do not have access to the internet.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC estimate that less than 1% of families eligible to receive Tax-Free Childcare will not be able to use online services or access the internet. These parents are able to apply by telephone by contacting the helpline on 0300 1234097. To date around 500 parents have used this facility to access Tax-Free Childcare or 30 hours free childcare.The estimated cost to the Exchequer for Employer National Insurance forgone, in relation to Employer Supported Childcare schemes, is £220 million per year.The estimated annual operating costs for the childcare service, through which parents apply for both Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare, are £35.6million for 2018/19 and £47.5million for 2019/20.

Self-employed: Parental Leave and Parental Pay

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits that extending shared parental (a) leave and (b) pay to self-employed workers would provide to families accessing maternity or paternity leave.

Elizabeth Truss: The government set out in its response to the Taylor Review of modern employment practices that while it agrees with the principle of equalising benefits for the self-employed it is right to only consider making changes to this area once we have carefully considered this in the wider context of tax, benefits and rights over the longer term. Since 2010, we have taken significant steps to equalise the state benefits provided to the employed and self-employed, including giving the self-employed access to the full rate of the new State Pension for the first time, (worth up to £1,900/year more).

Prime Minister

Middle East: Trade Promotion

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Prime Minister, whom she is appointing as trade envoys to which countries in the Middle East.

Mrs Theresa May: Details of Trade Envoys can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Wolverhampton North East constituency have applied for advance payments of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: This information is not available.However, the latest internal data from November 2017 suggests that 68% of new claims to Universal Credit full service received a new claim advance or benefit transfer advance. This proportion has increased since data was last published in July 2017, which showed that around 50% received a new claim advance or benefit transfer advance.

Independent Case Examiner

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases the Independent Case Examiner has reviewed in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Details of the number of cases the Independent Case Examiner’s Office has reviewed (examined and cleared) in each reporting year since 2010 is detailed in the table below: Year (April to March)Cases reviewed (examined and cleared)2010/1113902011/1213382012/1312972013/1411922014/1511452015/167632016/178732017/18 (April 2017 to January 2018)757

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints relating to changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s the Independent Case Examiner's Office has (a) received and (b) reviewed in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Details of the number of complaints (a) received and (b) reviewed by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office relating to changes in state pension age for women born in the 1950s in each reporting year since 2010 is detailed in the table below. Reporting Year (April to March)ReceivedAccepted for examinationReviewed2010/110002011/120002012/130002013/140002014/150002015/160002016/1724619802017/18 (April 2017 to January 2018)2,1121,57724

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether resources for the Independent Case Examiner have been ringfenced or increased to deal with cases regarding the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Kit Malthouse: The Independent Case Examiner Office has received no additional resource to deal with cases regarding the state pension age for women born in the 1950s, but a team of Investigation Case Managers was set up at the beginning of October 2017 to investigate this group of complaints.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the telephone network at Shettleston Jobcentre was inaccessible on 2 February 2018 and whether the cause of the inaccessibility has been fully resolved.

Alok Sharma: The telephone network in Shettleston Jobcentre was disrupted on 2 February due to a suspected power surge causing a switch to fail. The telephone network was restored within one hour and subsequent work by BT has replaced the switch.Face to face services within the Jobcentre continued while the telephones were down. Additionally, a contingency arrangement was put in place to redirect calls to Parkhead Jobcentre and Easterhouse Jobcentre as per Business Continuity Plans. All payments were processed and issued on time.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of participants in the Youth Obligation are still unemployed after six months; and what proportion of those still unemployed (a) have moved into an apprenticeship or traineeship or (b) taken up a work experience placement organised by the Department in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: The latest administrative data indicates that around 11,600 claimants had started their Youth Obligation journey.We do not currently have validated data on the small number of claimants who have received six months intensive support as the programme is in its early stages, but this data will develop as the programme progresses and we will consider the most effective way to publish it.

Employment and Support Allowance: Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received employment and support allowance for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis in each year between 2010 and 2017.

Sarah Newton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 January 2018 to Question 123975

GKN: Melrose

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency plans her Department has made to support employees of GKN made redundant as a result of the takeover of that company by Melrose; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: To date, we have not been notified of any GKN employees being made redundant as a consequence of a takeover by Melrose.If this should occur, they will be entitled to support through the Rapid Response Service and Jobcentre Plus Districts stand ready to deploy this as soon as it is required.An outline of the service is below:DWP offer a Rapid Response Service (RRS). This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when under threat of redundancy. It is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, HMRC, Money Advice Service, local training providers, employers, and the skills bodies.The range of support available from JCP and partners may include:Information, advice and guidance.Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search, including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or self-employment, such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes and travel costs.For large redundancies, we may also provide on-site services to promote jobs or to take benefit claims.Jobs fairs and job clubs (where appropriate).

Children: Maintenance

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure the provision of adequate training on the variations system for Child Maintenance Options staff to advise members of the public.

Kit Malthouse: Child Maintenance Options provide impartial information to support parents in making the most appropriate maintenance arrangement for their circumstances.Child Maintenance Options agents complete a comprehensive training programme and have supporting guidance available to ensure they provide complete and unbiased information to customers, including information about how a child maintenance calculation is worked out and what information is taken into account.Child Maintenance Service caseworkers who take applications to the statutory scheme are trained on the detail of the variations system so, in cases where a declaration is made, the variation can be applied appropriately.As part of the Compliance and Arrears Strategy the department is reviewing its approach to variations. Appropriate additional training and guidance will be considered as a result.

Employment and Support Allowance: Tumours

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a brain tumour their main disabling condition have (a) applied for and (b) received Employment and Support Allowance in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: Brain tumours can commonly refer to a range of different conditions depending on the type of tumour. They are also grouped with other central nervous system tumours when being recorded. As such it is not possible for us to isolate brain tumours as a separate recorded condition. The available information held relating to this condition is shown in the following tables:Table 1: Number of individuals making an initial claim to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) whose main disabling condition was recorded as relating to Brain or Central Nervous System Tumours, by year of claim start Jan 2010 to Mar 2017: Great BritainYear of ESA  claim startInitial ESA claims20101,00020111,20020121,10020131,20020141,20020151,10020161,2002017 (Jan - Mar)300 Table 2: Number of individuals assigned to the ESA Support Group or the ESA Work Capability Group following their Work Capability Assessment (for initial, repeat or IB reassessment claims), whose main disabling condition was recorded as relating to Brain or Central Nervous System Tumours, by year of claim start or IB reassessment referral, Jan 2010 to Mar 2017: Great BritainYear of ESA claim startInitial ESA claimsRepeat ESA assessmentsIB reassessments2010800400-2011900600300201290060060020139005007002014900300100201590020010020168001001002017 (Jan - Mar)200-- Source for Tables 1 and 2: Application data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the Healthcare Provider.Notes for Tables 1 and 2:The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “–” denotes figures that are zero or less than 50.The information for 2017 is provided up to March 2017 only; this is the latest data available at time of request.National roll-out of IB reassessments began in March 2011. As a result, the 2011 figures for IB reassessment in Table 2 cover the period from March to December.An individual may have made more than one ESA claim or assessment in any given year. These individuals will only be counted once in each of the figures provided.The following groupings have been included in this analysis:a. Malignant Neoplasm of Brainb. Benign Neoplasm of Meningesc. Benign Neoplasm of Brain and other parts of central nervous systemd. Neoplasm of uncertain or unknown behaviour of brain and central nervous system6. The primary medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Malignant Neoplasm of Brain would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the work capability assessment.

Personal Independence Payment: Tumours

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a brain tumour as their main disabling condition have (a) applied for and (b) received personal independence payments in each year since 2013.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Brain tumour is not recorded as a separate category in the main disabling condition list as recorded on the PIP computer system.Information is published in relation to primary disabling conditions where available, this can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these published statistics.In the application process, claimants’ main disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. It is not recorded at the point of application. The Department does not therefore hold data on the number of applicants to PIP with particular conditions. Only those who have a disability assessment determination decision will have a main disabling condition recorded for them.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2018 to Question 125898, on Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health, whether additional funding will be made available as part of her Department's Annual Managed Expenditure to pay for personal independence payment back-payments.

Sarah Newton: The Department’s Annually Managed Expenditure budget is set through the annual Main and Supplementary Estimates process. It is demand led and set at a sufficient level to cover DWP’s expected welfare spend, including PIP benefit payments to individual claimants and any back payments due.

Home Office

Fraud: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget is for the (a) Take Five, (b) Cyber Aware, (c) Cyber Essentials, (d) Scam Smart, (e) Not With My Name, (f) Urban Fraud Myths, (g) Avoiding Scams, (h) Get Safe Online, (i) Cyber Choices, (j) The Pensions Regulator's Scorpion Campaign, (k) 10 Steps to Cyber Security, (l) Date Safe and (m) Fighting Fraud programmes for 2017-18.

Mr Ben Wallace: The 2017/18 budget for Cyber Aware is £3.3 million. The 2017/18 budget for Take Five is £3.1 million. The other campaigns are not run by the Home Office.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers living in temporary dispersal accommodation have been there for one year or more.

Caroline Nokes: Temporary Dispersal Accommodation is a short-term contingency mechanism by which a provider may accommodate a service user in a suitable alternative address whilst a longer term property is made available, for example when an dispersal property is temporarily inaccessible whilst repair or specialist adaptations are undertaken.  The Home Office considers all such requests by providers on a case by case basis and monitors its use closely. However information on the length of stay of people in TDA is not collated in central statistical databases, and is not recorded in a format suitable for publication. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual occupancy records.

Radicalism

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to publish the correspondence between the Research Information and Communications Unit of her Department and (a) Breakthrough Media (b) Sara Khan and (c) Inspire between 2011 and 2017.

Mr Ben Wallace: Through the Research Information and Communications Unit, the Home Office works in partnership with a range of civil society organisations to counter a range of public safety issues, including counter-terrorism, counter-extremism, and serious and organised crime.We provide access to communications professionals and industry experts, including Breakthrough Media.This support was provided to Inspire in 2014 for the Making a Stand campaign which encouraged communities to publically state their rejection of Daesh and their abhorrence of extremism and terrorism.

Asylum: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  with reference to her Department's report, Asylum Migration and Integration Fund, List of Actions allocated funding, published in July 2017, which actions will receive funding in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The report referenced was a snapshot of funding as of July 2017. Some of the actions listed will continue to be funded in 2018, and dates for the actions are shown in the report.At present it is not possible to state precisely what actions will be funded in 2018, as this is dependent partly on business needs of the Home Office, however it is expected that more funding will be allocated to refugee integration activities during the year.A full list of possible actions to be funded was established in the UK AMIF National Programme, agreed with the EU in March 2015, and published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-migration-and-integration-fund-programme

Asylum: Disclosure of Information

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of unauthorised sharing of asylum information there have been in her Department in each year since 2015.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidences of unauthorised sharing of asylum information have there been in her Department in each year since 2010.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has paid out in compensation as a result of unauthorised sharing of asylum information in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: The number of incidents of unauthorised sharing of asylum information and the amount of compensation paid by the department for unauthorised sharing of asylum information is not held in a format which is reportable.It is contrary to Home Office policy to disclose information on individual asylum cases.

Animals in Science Regulation Unit

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the publication of the Animals in Science Regulation Annual Report for 2016.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office intends to publish the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s Annual Report for 2016 shortly.

Visas

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125638, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of visa applications classified as non-straightforward.

Caroline Nokes: UK Visas and Immigration continually reviews its operation to improve performance and accountability. Customer feedback, including complaints, are taken into account to ensure we offer value for money; which includes improving the services we offer, the quality of the decisions we make and the provision of an excellent customer service.Visa applications are considered to be non-straightforward (identified as complex) when an Entry Clearance Officer determines that additional information is required in order for a decision to be made and that these enquiries will take longer than the published service standard.The circumstances that call for this action are varied. For example it may be necessary for the officer to make enquiries of an external organisation or wait for the applicant to clarify details stated on their application or submit additional evidence.Where an application has been classified as complex and cannot be concluded within published services standards, we will write to the customer to inform them that it will not be decided within the service standard and what will happen next.

Police: Dogs

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police dogs there were in each police force in (a) 2010 and (b) 2017.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police horses were in active service in each police force in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold centrally any information on the number of police dogs or police horses in service in police forces.

Police: Finance

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the conclusion of the review of the Police funding formula.

Mr Nick Hurd: As I set out in my statement to the House on 19 December, we will revisit the police funding formula at the next Spending Review. The funding settlement for 2018/19 protects police funding in real terms, and provides police leaders with the financial certainty that they need to plan for 2019/20.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of each police force’s annual budget was spent on the running costs of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in the 2016-17 financial year.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government does not hold information in respect of how much of a police force’s budget is spent on running the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, it is the responsibility of individual PCCs to determine how each police force area’s funding settlement is allocated, including setting the force budget and in relation to the size and composition of their offices.The 2011 Act specifies that PCCs must publish key information as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 (and amended in 2012) sets out what information must be published: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/3050/contents/madeThe publication of this information enables the local electorate to judge whether the PCC is making the best use of public money.

Firearms: Licencing

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotgun and (b) other firearms licences there were in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms were covered by licenses in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotgun and (b) other firearms licenses there were in each police force area in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotgun and (b) other firearms were covered by licenses in each police force area in England and Wales from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

Mr Nick Hurd: The use of ‘shotgun and other firearms licenses’ within these questions has been interpreted to mean firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Acts 1968-1997.The Home Office publishes data on firearms and shotgun certificates as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2016/17’ publication. This is available from the Home Office webpage on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624004/firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-march-2017-tables.odsTable 1 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17. Table 3 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17.Table 2 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.Table 4 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Care Homes: Licensing

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting care homes and residential homes from their obligation to play the licence fee.

Margot James: Accommodation for Residential Care licences are already available for people who are either over 60 years old or disabled and living in eligible accommodation. The types of eligible accommodation include residential care homes, supported housing or sheltered accommodation and the criteria is detailed in the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004. The annual licence currently costs £7.50 per resident. The Government has no plans to review these licences.

Performing Arts

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the contribution of creative industry freelancers to the UK economy.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 February 2018.The correct answer should have been:

We are talking to our EU counterparts as part of ongoing EU exit negotiations with a view to achieving the deep and special relationship the UK wishes to have with the EU post-exit. We are confident that this is in the interests of both sides. We will work hard to secure the best deal for the UK on exit and ensure that our new relationship with the EU works for business. We are also preparing for a range of possible outcomes for the audio-visual sector from the UK's negotiations with the EU. Freelancers form a vital part of the UK workforce, particularly for the creative industries. The Secretary of State and his ministers have regular discussions with members of the Cabinet on a wide range of issues that impact on the creative industries and its workforce.

Margot James: We are talking to our EU counterparts as part of ongoing EU exit negotiations with a view to achieving the deep and special relationship the UK wishes to have with the EU post-exit. We are confident that this is in the interests of both sides. We will work hard to secure the best deal for the UK on exit and ensure that our new relationship with the EU works for business. We are also preparing for a range of possible outcomes for the audio-visual sector from the UK's negotiations with the EU. Freelancers form a vital part of the UK workforce, particularly for the creative industries. The Secretary of State and his ministers have regular discussions with members of the Cabinet on a wide range of issues that impact on the creative industries and its workforce.

Broadband

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to facilitate access to superfast broadband for people living in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (b) London and (c) the UK.

Margot James: According to data from Thinkbroadband (www.thinkbroadband.com) the current superfast broadband coverage (speeds of more than 24Mbps) in the Lewisham, Deptford constituency is 95.5% and in the London Borough of Lewisham it is 97.8%. The Government expects superfast broadband coverage within London to be provided by the private sector and there is therefore no government-funded superfast project. Providers including BT Openreach, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic all have current or planned network coverage within Lewisham. During 2017 DCMS worked with a number of London Boroughs to ensure proportionate mechanisms are in place to enable access to the highways by broadband providers for network deployment. Across the UK, the Government and local bodies together are investing £1.7 billion of public money to support vital improvements in broadband services across the UK. Superfast broadband coverage reached 95% of premises in December 2017 – up from 45% in 2010. For any premises not covered by superfast broadband, as confirmed in our announcement in December 2017, we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request 10 Megabit per second broadband.

Broadband

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate access to superfast broadband for people on exchange only lines.

Margot James: The Government and local bodies together are investing £1.7 billion of public money to support vital improvements in broadband services across the UK. Superfast broadband coverage reached 95% of premises in December 2017 – up from 45% in 2010. Many of the premises reached had exchange only lines. For any premises not covered by superfast broadband, as confirmed in our announcement in December 2017, we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request 10 Megabit per second broadband. Within London the Government expects superfast broadband coverage to be provided by the private sector and is encouraging providers to tackle remaining issues including exchange only lines.

European City of Culture: Liverpool

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the lasting economic benefits for Liverpool after that city's year as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Michael Ellis: Research into the impact of​ Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year​ has found that it attracted 9.7 million extra visitors in 2008 which generated an economic impact of over £750 million ​across Liverpool, Merseyside and the wider North West region and led to higher levels of cultural engagement. ​Liverpool continues to have a thriving culture scene and regularly hosts several major events. The success of Liverpool 08 also led directly to the creation of the UK City of Culture programme; in December, Coventry was selected to be the next UK City of Culture 2021.

Nuisance Calls

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on a ban on phone companies charging a fee for services to protect against nuisance calls.

Margot James: The Government and local bodies together are investing £1.7 billion of public money to support vital improvements in broadband services across the UK. Superfast broadband coverage reached 95% of premises in December 2017 – up from 45% in 2010. Many of the premises reached had exchange only lines. For any premises not covered by superfast broadband, as confirmed in our announcement in December 2017, we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request 10 Megabit per second broadband. Within London the Government expects superfast broadband coverage to be provided by the private sector and is encouraging providers to tackle remaining issues including exchange only lines.

National Citizen Service Trust

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many candidates applied for the position of Chair of the National Citizen Service Trust.

Tracey Crouch: 46 candidates applied for the position of Chair of the National Citizen Service.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of uptake of superfast broadband at or above 24mbps where such coverage exists; and what steps his Department is taking to increase such uptake.

Margot James: Take-up rates from projects in the Phase 1 Superfast Broadband Programme now average over 40%, significantly higher than the level expected by suppliers at the start of the programme. In BT’s quarterly results to the end of December 2017, they announced that connections to fibre-enabled broadband now total 9.2 million, up by 600,000 within the quarter. As a result of the take-up levels that are now being achieved, BT have estimated that the total gainshare funding to be returned to the projects within the Superfast Broadband Programme will now be £527m. The Department is currently reviewing these data and other evidence to consider options for increasing superfast broadband uptake.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the average amount paid annually by UK households for broadband connectivity since 2010.

Margot James: Average household spend on broadband services, per annum2010201120122013201420152016£133.8£139.08£143.16£148.08£162.36£181.32£202.8Average household spend on communications services as a % of total spend 5.95.75.35.25.45.4 Source: Ofcom Communications Market Report 2017Available at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/105074/cmr-2017-uk.pdf

Brass Bands: Government Assistance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding brass bands have received from the Government in each year since 2010; and if he will list the recipients of that funding.

Michael Ellis: A list of the eligible applications to the Arts Council in each year since 2010 in the sub-art form “Brass and Silver bands” are attached. Some activity, for which brass bands play a constituent part, may not be included as the wider activity has not been classified specifically as such. Ineligible applications are not recorded by sub-art form.Since April 2016, Brass bands have also benefited from the Orchestra tax relief.



Application Data - ACE - Brass and silver bands
(PDF Document, 271.57 KB)

Bank Services: Internet

Bill Esterson: To ask Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2018 to Question 121701, on bank services: internet, of the 10 per cent of households without internet access how many are able to access the internet elsewhere.

Margot James: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the activities carried out by people that use the internet. This can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage The ONS estimates that in Great Britain 90% of households have an internet connection. Of those without internet access, ONS found “64% felt they didn’t need the internet as it was regarded as not useful or interesting. A further 20% felt they lacked skills and 12% reported that they had access to the internet elsewhere”.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Daniel Kawczynski: What steps his Department is taking to improve broadband and mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

Margot James: I refer the hon member to my answers to the hon members from Copeland and Banbury during Departmental Oral Questions today.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Company Liquidations: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of businesses which have gone bankrupt in York in each year since 2010.

Andrew Griffiths: Statistics are not available at the level of detail requested. Official statistics covering corporate insolvencies for England and Wales are not available at sub-national level, as the data supplied to the Insolvency Service does not include location information. The latest national level figures are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/insolvency-statistics-october-to-december-2017 Official statistics covering individual insolvencies are available by local authority area, but do not identify separately bankruptcies where the individual was self-employed. The latest figures, covering the period 2000 to 2016, are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individual-insolvencies-by-location-age-and-gender-england-and-wales-2016. An update to this publication, covering the calendar year 2017, will be published as a statistical release in July 2018.

Fracking: Ryedale

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 115005, on Fracking: Ryedale, if he will make it his Department's policy not to approve fracking at KM8 Ryedale while the Environment Agency investigations into (a) the type and volume of chemicals that have been put down KM3 and (b) whether those chemicals have caused fractures are ongoing.

Claire Perry: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 January, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has informed Parliament and the Oil and Gas Authority of the current state of the process, which is still ongoing. The Department will respond further, as appropriate, in due course.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council: Centres for Doctoral Training

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council plans to allocate to Centres for Doctoral Training in the next funding round.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) plans to allocate approximately £492m to Centres for Doctoral Training in the next funding exercise.

Nuclear Power: Consultants

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which consultancy firms and individual consultants carried out work for the Government in relation to civil nuclear power in the UK in each of the last two years; what the titles were of the projects those consultancies and consultants were working on; and what the costs to the public purse of those projects were.

Richard Harrington: The information requested is currently being researched. I will place this in the Libraries of the House as soon as the information is available.

Carillion

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support SMEs affected by the collapse of Carillion.

Andrew Griffiths: My rt. hon. friend, the Secretary of State and I are working to ensure information is provided to SMEs in the Carillion supply chain in a timely manner.The Secretary of State has established the Carillion Taskforce to advise on the impact on small businesses and employees affected by Carillion insolvency. The Taskforce’s attendees included representatives from leading business bodies, the construction trade sector, unions, banks and government. This has already led to useful collaborations, in particular in relation to ensuring firms and employees have access to support from Government and the banks.I have also met several times with leading business and construction trade bodies, representing Carillion’s sub-contractors, to understand the impact of Carillion’s insolvency on the supply chain, and agree actions that could be taken to mitigate this. It is our intention to continue to meet regularly with this group on an ongoing basis.Following the Secretary of State and my meeting with the banks on Wednesday 17th January, they made public commitments to provide support to SMEs affected and are contacting customers and, where appropriate, are putting in place emergency measures, including overdraft extensions, payment holidays and fee waivers to ensure those facing short term issues can be helped to stay on track. Details of these can be found at https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/banks-offer-support-to-business-customers-impacted-by-carillion/On the 3rd February, the Government announced that through the British Business Bank, it will make available support of up to £100m to small businesses, through their delivery partners, using the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG); enabling lenders to extend credit to SMEs which, while viable, may have insufficient security to secure other credit lines to support their businesses at this time. Through this collaboration the UK government and the banks can continue to support small businesses with the appropriate finance.The Secretary of State has written to all accredited EFG lenders to draw their attention to this additional support, and expects them to ensure that they are actively engaging with SME businesses so they can give them the support they need. Accredited EFG lenders are listed on the British Business Bank website at https://british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/supporting-business-loans-enterprise-finance-guarantee/efg-accredited-lenders/The Department is providing a range of advice and support services for firms, delivered both nationally and locally available to SMEs affected by the insolvency of Carillion. These include a network of 38 Local Growth Hubs, run in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Partnership, to help businesses of all sizes and in all sectors to access support.Information is published online by the Insolvency Service for employees, creditors and suppliers affected and seeking advice. In addition to providing current information, they provide a dedicated hotline for enquiries and contact numbers to other relevant organisations such as the Pensions Advisory Service, and the website PwC have been established to provide information. These can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/carillion-declares-insolvency-information-for-employees-creditors-and-suppliers

Labour Market: Automation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the UK labour market of increasing automation.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department continually monitors external evidence on this key topic, including evidence drawn from think tanks, academics and representative bodies. In our Industrial Strategy, we announced a Grand Challenge on growing our AI and Data-driven economy. Meeting our Grand Challenge means maximising the opportunities created by AI and advanced data technologies, and responding to the potential impacts on society, including the labour market. Embedding AI across the UK will create thousands of jobs and drive economic growth. AI could add £232 billion to the economy by 2030. Through the Industrial Strategy, we will help people develop the skills needed for the jobs of the future, including by investing in maths, digital and technical skills, and introducing a national retraining scheme in England.

Carillion

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125801, for what reason the findings of the Carillion Taskforce will not be published.

Andrew Griffiths: The Taskforce has a key role in informing and shaping the Government’s response to the insolvency of Carillion, but it is not a review group and will not publish findings, which would duplicate the work of the Insolvency Service, other regulators and Parliamentary Select Committees. The Taskforce is working to mitigate impacts on the small business supply chain, to support employees and apprenticeships find new employment and for the Taskforce members to help disseminate useful information to their respective stakeholders. This has already led to useful collaborations, in particular in relation to work to ensure a swift transaction of construction contracts from Carillion to new contractors to minimise disruptions.

Managers: Pay

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125696, when he plans to implement the corporate governance reforms to require companies to publish the ratio of their Chief Executive Officer’s total annual remuneration to the average annual remuneration of the company’s UK employees.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government is committed to introducing a new statutory reporting requirement to require quoted companies to disclose and explain the ratio of the Chief Executive Officer’s total annual remuneration to the average annual remuneration of the company’s UK employees. The regulations to implement this provision (along with the other new reporting provisions being introduced as part of the corporate governance reforms announced in August 2017) are being drafted and will be laid in draft in Parliament later this year subject to other Parliamentary business.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of hectares of land in England changing to residential use that was (a) previously developed and (b) not previously developed, since 1988.

Dominic Raab: The requested information is available in the following live tables:1989 to 2011: Live Table P226 at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/267563/201312_-_Tables_P221-P226_-_LUCS_-_Land_changing_to_residential_use.xls; and2013/14 to 2015/16: Live Table P370 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595736/1516_Land_Use_Change_Statistics_Live_Tables_Feb_revision.xlsxFigures from the two tables are not directly comparable due to a change in methodology that was introduced in 2013/14. This is also the reason why no figures are available for 2012.   More information on the methodological change can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/432348/DCLG_LUCS_New_Methodology_Guidance.pdf

Mental Health

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society on including in any review of loneliness, the potential effect of vehicles (a) driving and (b) parking on pavements obstructing access to communities for (i) older and (ii) disabled people who suffer from loneliness.

Rishi Sunak: My Department is supporting the cross-government strategy to tackle loneliness and social isolation led by the Parliament Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society, including by linking our existing initiatives that tackle loneliness to other government policies. Our policies tackle social isolation and loneliness by supporting and celebrating integrated and resilient communities in which everyone can participate. We look forward to raising these policies with the new Minister for Loneliness.We recognise the nuisance caused to vulnerable members of our community such as visually impaired or elderly people when their access is restricted by road vehicles parked on pavements. My Hon Friend, Jesse Norman MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, is currently considering the effectiveness of powers to tackle pavement parking.We want to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time, and that includes a welcoming and safe night-time economy.

Tenants' Associations

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has taken recent steps to make it easier for tenants’ associations to gain formal recognition; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: Between 25 July and 19 September 2017, the Government ran a consultation on proposals to make it easier for a secretary of a tenants' association to obtain contact information of qualifying tenants (leaseholders) from a landlord and so improve the prospects of the association being formally recognised. The results of the consultation are being analysed and an announcement will be made shortly.

Social Rented Housing: Domestic Violence

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to his Department's consultation entitled Improving access to social housing for victims of domestic abuse, published on 30 October 2017.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The consultation sought views on proposals for new statutory guidance for local authorities to improve access to social housing by victims of domestic abuse in refuges. The consultation closed on 5 January 2018. We received nearly 200 responses which are currently being analysed. We will be issuing the final guidance in the Spring.

Charities: Non-domestic Rates

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Government has not raised to 100 per cent the rate of business rate relief for charities on property with a rateable value of under £12,000; and if he will take steps to ensure that charities have 100 per cent such relief.

Rishi Sunak: Properties used for charitable purposes are eligible for 80 per cent mandatory business rates relief, which can be topped up to 100 per cent at the discretion of the relevant local authority. This relief is significantly more generous than small business rate relief would be for most charities, given that the latter can generally only be claimed by ratepayers with just one property.Business rate relief for charities was worth nearly £1.9 billion in 2016-17. Overall, the Government’s support for charities and their donors, including through tax reliefs, was worth over £5 billion in 2016-17.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many employees of his Department make use of the childcare vouchers scheme.

Jake Berry: There are currently 173 staff making use of the Department’s free childcare voucher and salary sacrifice childcare voucher schemes.From this total, 25 staff are in receipt of free childcare vouchers paid for by the Department. A further 57 staff are paying a salary sacrifice in exchange for childcare vouchers and are not in receipt of free vouchers. A further 91 staff are in receipt of a combination of free childcare vouchers and vouchers paid for by salary sacrifice.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Land

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much land (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies owns in (i) England and (ii) the South West; and how much of that land has been identified as being surplus to requirements.

Jake Berry: The UK Government is a significant landowner. The current Government Estate Strategy sets out the Government's vision to create an efficient, fit-for-purpose and sustainable estate whose performance matches the best of the private sector. As a Government we are delivering this vision, ensuring that the estate is fit for purpose, is frequently reviewed and aligned to the Estate Strategy, and is managed in an efficient and effective way.The current landholdings of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are shown in the table below. This does not include land previously identified as surplus that has now been disposed. The information is correct at time of publication.Land in hectaresEnglandSouth WestMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government1.010.00QE2 Conference Centre0.370.00Homes England7,341.54252.94Total7,342.92252.94Of the total land the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government holds in England, 281 hectares is currently available, out of which 2.06 hectares are in the South West. These figures include agencies and non-departmental public bodies.The role of Homes England is to trade in land to facilitate delivery of new homes. Most of the land listed in the table above will therefore be made available in due course. Homes England publishes a Land Development and Disposal Plan, which lists the sites that are likely to be available for development and/or disposal over a 12 month period: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-development-and-disposal-plan

Asylum: Community Relations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote community engagement between asylum seekers and established populations.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is dedicated to building strong, integrated communities.We are committed to ensuring that for all those granted refugee status the transition from government supported accommodation into mainstream services is as smooth as possible. In 2018/19 my department will be funding around 20 local authorities with the highest numbers of asylum seekers to support new refugees into housing, employment and English language learning.Since its launch in November 2016 my department has awarded £9 million from the Controlling Migration Fund to 32 English local authorities for projects developing the capacity of local authorities to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children within their communities. This includes projects that help the wider community develop innovative approaches to welcoming and supporting these vulnerable young people.My department will shortly be announcing which local authorities areas are being supported to take this work forward.

Right to Buy Scheme: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people in north Cornwall have participated in the right-to-buy scheme.

Dominic Raab: Figures for the number of Right to Buy Sales by local authority are available in live table 691 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales

Housing: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of breaking up larger housing developers on the market for new homes.

Dominic Raab: Housing developers of all sizes, have an important part to play in creating the step change in housing delivery we need to deliver the homes this country needs, and we welcome the contribution.We have been clear that we expect developers to deliver more homes, more quickly, and to a high standard. That is why we are taking action through our ambitious package of reforms to increase housing supply.We are also taking measures to encourage different providers into a more diversified housing market to increase competition and innovation. Through our planning reforms and other measures, such as the £1 billion of short term loans provided through our Home Building Fund, we continue to back small and medium-sized builders. The Government announced an additional £1.5 billion for the fund at budget.

Rented Housing: Licensing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Oral contribution of Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon on 23 March 2015, Official Report, column GC331, what progress has been made on undertaking a review of the effect of changes to the selective licensing of houses; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Department has sought to ensure that the selective licensing review can be informed by a number of applications for large scale schemes that were submitted during the second half of 2017. The Department is now in a position to begin the review and will do so shortly.

High Rise Flats: Liverpool

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps has taken to support leaseholders at Heysmoor Heights, Liverpool to meet the costs for fire safety following the Grenfell Tower tragedy; and will he make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State has made clear that building owners should do all they can to protect leaseholders from costs relating to interim measures and cladding remediation – either funding it themselves or looking at alternative routes such as insurance claims, warranties or legal action.It is important that leaseholders are able to access specialist advice to understand their rights. The Secretary of State announced on 4 December that the department is providing additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), an arm’s length-body which provides free initial legal advice to leaseholders, to advise on fire safety issues.The department is keeping the situation under review.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employees of his Department make use of the childcare voucher scheme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Around 10,000 military personnel use the Armed Forces Childcare Voucher Scheme and around 2,500 civilian personnel use the Civilian Salary Sacrifice Childcare Voucher Scheme on a monthly basis.

Afghanistan: Military Intervention

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for a further uplift of UK military personnel in Afghanistan as a result of recent (a) Taliban and (b) Daesh terrorist attacks in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As announced by the Defence Secretary on 27 November 2017 (Official Report, column 20), the UK will increase its troop contribution in Afghanistan from 500 to 650 in 2018. These troops will be deployed in non-combat roles, where they will continue to support the development of the Afghan Army, Police and Air Force. The Ministry of Defence keeps its troop numbers in Afghanistan under constant review to ensure they remain suited for the needs of the mission.Regarding the recent Taliban and Daesh attacks, the UK stands resolutely with Afghanistan against terrorism and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces are responsible for delivering their own security and dealing with the insurgent threat, with the NATO coalition training, advising and assisting them in their efforts.

Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to postpone the award of the contract for the management of the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation as a result of the profits warning issued by Capita.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The process for awarding the contract for the management of the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation is subject to the standard Departmental, Treasury and Cabinet Office rules. This process is ongoing.

Cyprus: Asylum

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many rejected asylum seekers remain in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Fifteen failed asylum seekers remain resident in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA). They were among a group of approximately 70 individuals who were rescued from a boat in distress in 1998 near Akrotiri. These failed asylum seekers have indicated many times they do not wish to be returned to their countries of origin, or re-apply for asylum in the Republic of Cyprus. It has not been possible to identify a third country willing to accept them. They are entitled to access, education and healthcare in the Republic of Cyprus.No failed asylum seekers remain in the SBA from those migrants who arrived in the Areas in October 2015.

USA: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks from the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Royal Marines, (iii) British Army and (iv) RAF are embedded with (A) United States military forces and (B) the US Department of Defense.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Given the routine nature of embedding, some of the information requested is not coordinated centrally. We are now in the process of collecting data and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

USA: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Annex A to FOI2015/07054 dated 8 September 2015, if he will publish the on-going embedding arrangements for UK and US military personnel.

Mark Lancaster: It will take some time to collate and analyse the relevant information. I will write to the hon. Member with a substantive response once this process is complete.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many employees of his Department make use of childcare vouchers.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government , who remain the employers. Staff working in the Scotland Office have the opportunity to make use of Childcare Vouchers under the terms of their employing department’s scheme rules. Local records are not held on the use of childcare vouchers.

Foreign Investment in UK: Scotland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to attract Foreign Direct Investment to Scotland.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office works closely with the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to promote investment opportunities in Scotland to a global audience. Next week I will travel to Hong Kong and Japan to promote trade and investment opportunities for businesses in Scotland. As part of the UK Government’s goal to rebalance the UK economy, we are ensuring that foreign investors know about the strengths of all parts of the UK, including Scotland. DIT, through contracted partners from the Investment Services Team (IST), owns and manages the national pipeline of potential investments into the UK. These are sourced from staff posted overseas in the UK’s diplomatic and consular network across the globe in over 100 markets. DIT reports that in 2016-17, Scotland secured 183 FDI projects, creating around 5,500 jobs. This is the best ever performance by Scotland and shows an increase of 75 projects compared to the previous year.

Exports: Scotland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on export opportunities for Scottish businesses in trade agreements with other countries after the UK has left the EU.

David Mundell: I am in regular discussions with the Secretary of State for International Trade on a number of matters, especially how to support promote Scottish exports both now and after the UK has left the European Union. The UK Government is committed to developing a UK trade policy that benefits business, workers and consumers across the whole of the UK. The Scotland Office engages regularly with the Department for International Trade and promotes the interests of Scottish businesses as the Government explores the best ways of progressing our trade and investment relationships.

Apprentices: Scotland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to support an increase in the number of apprenticeship opportunities in Scotland.

David Mundell: The UK Government has set an ambitious target of 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020. In Scotland, Skills Policy is devolved, therefore the provision of apprenticeship opportunities is the responsibility of the Scottish Government.The UK Government have also provided funding to the Scottish Government through an increase in the block grant from the Apprenticeship Levy, implemented on the 6th April 2017. Devolved Administrations receive a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s apprenticeship levy forecast. The Scottish Government decide how to allocate this funding to their devolved responsibilities.The Jobcentre Plus network in Scotland also promotes the many benefits of apprenticeships to both employers and claimants.

Scottish Government: Greater London

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has a role in the (a) administration, (b) funding and (c) running of Scotland House, Victoria Embankment, London.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no role in the administration, funding or running of Scotland House, Victoria Embankment, London.

Trade: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to support trade links between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

David Mundell: The UK Government is committed to building an economy that works for the whole of our United Kingdom, and our Industrial Strategy is a vital part of that plan. The Scotland Office has been working closely with other UK Government departments, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Northern Ireland Office to shape that strategy. The Scotland Office has also been engaging with stakeholders across Scotland, to ensure that this Strategy aligns with the strategic priorities of Scotland, maximising opportunities to boost trade and investment opportunities across the whole of the UK.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether locating DSO, which promotes arms exports, and ECJU, which controls arms exports, in the same Department has created a potential conflict of interest.

Graham Stuart: The Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) and Export Control Joint Unit conduct their business entirely separately. DSO is not involved or consulted in export licensing decisions. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. We will not grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria. We do not believe that co-location within the DIT creates any conflicts of interest.

Arms Trade: Licensing

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124725, what vetting his Department conducts on entities that export strategic goods.

Graham Stuart: The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria focus on the end use of the proposed export, taking into account a wide range of factors. Routine vetting procedures therefore relate to end users rather than applicants.

Trade Agreements: Turkey

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer 31 January 2018 to Question 125209 on Trade Agreements, whether maintaining the arrangements of the EU free trade agreements with Turkey will require the retention of the provisions of the Customs Union.

Greg Hands: As the Prime Minister has made clear, the UK will be leaving the EU Customs Union on the 29th March 2019. This position has not changed. We want our future customs arrangements with both the EU and Turkey to enable as frictionless trade as possible in goods, whilst enabling us to exercise an independent international trade policy. Our trade dialogue with Turkey is focused on how this can be achieved.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contracts his Department holds with Capita; and what the total value of those contracts is.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As far as can be determined, the Department centrally has 2 contracts with Capita, and the Executive Agencies in total have 15 (DVLA - 2, DVSA - 7, VCA - 2 and MCA - 4). Details of the values of these contracts are commercially sensitive.

Transport: Per Capita Costs

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 125292 on Transport: Per Capita Costs, what estimate his Department has made of value of transport projects and programmes in (i) London and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Franchises

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many directly awarded rail franchise agreements have been made by his Department in each year since 2004-05.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 125477 on Railways: North of England, whether the journey times will be seven minutes longer for the duration of the franchise, until 2023.

Joseph Johnson: There is no contractual requirement for TransPennine Express (TPE) to change this for the remainder of the current franchise, however, we and TPE are aware of the sensitivities around this change, and this will be kept under review. Please note that in our previous response we stated that 8 minutes would be the journey time increase.

Railways: Franchises

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail franchises have been put out to tender in each year since 2009-10; and how many bids his Department received for each franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Roads: Accidents

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 125445, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of accidents in which poor eyesight is a contributory factor.

Jesse Norman: All drivers must be able to meet the required visual acuity and visual field standards, which includes being able to read a number plate from 20 metres. Drivers are also legally responsible for notifying the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at any time of a change in their health or vision which may affect their ability to meet the appropriate standards. The Government fully supports the NHS’ recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years. The DVLA is carrying out an online awareness campaign highlighting the importance of good vision for safe driving. Also, in 2016, the DVLA changed its driving licence application forms to highlight the importance of having regular eyesight tests. The photocard driving licence renewal letter the DVLA sends to drivers is also being amended to include this important message.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many contracts his Department holds with Capita; and what the total value of those contracts is.

Sir Alan Duncan: In the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has ten contracts with Capita with an aggregate value of circa £1.3million.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on (a) Turkish air strikes on Afrin and (b) the effect of those air strikes on Kurdish communities.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign Secretary has been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu about the situation in Afrin. We are closely following developments in Afrin and wider north-western Syria. We are calling for de-escalation and protection of civilians. While recognising Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders, it remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region, and secures the enduring defeat of Daesh.

Layla Siyaad

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the Government of Hungary on the continued detention of Layla Siyaad.

Sir Alan Duncan: Consular officials at the British Embassy in Budapest are in regular contact with the local authorities on this case and are keeping the family updated on developments.

Ahed Tamimi

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with his Israeli counterpart on the case of Ahed Tamimi since  8 January 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​While the Foreign Secretary has not raised this issue, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the case of Ahed Tamimi with the Israeli authorities on 7 February.

Israel: Detainees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Israel on the implementation of the recommendations of the UNICEF report, Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations, published in 2013.

Alistair Burt: ​Children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue with the Israeli authorities most recently on 7 February. Senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised this issue with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 8 January. We also raised the issue as part of the UK’s national statement during Israel’s universal periodic review in the UN Human Rights Council.We welcome progress made in recent Israeli policy amendments, and remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to its practices surrounding children in detention.

Palestinians: Radicalism

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his steps the Government is taking to tackle extremism in the Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: ​As the architect of the British Government’s first ever Counter-Extremism Strategy, the Prime Minister has reaffirmed this Government’s unwavering commitment to tackling extremism in all its forms. In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the UK’s goal is to preserve the viability of the two-state solution and support peace efforts - a lack of progress towards peace can contribute to regional tensions and extremism. To that end, our support is helping to maintain stability, and we are committed to supporting the institutions of a future Palestinian state to ensure it can effectively deliver services and act as a partner for peace with Israel

Indonesia: Religious Freedom

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of religious freedom in Indonesia; and whether he is taking steps to raise the importance of freedom of religious belief with the Indonesian Government.

Mark Field: The Government of Indonesia has taken steps to address the issue of freedom of religion, including through the creation of a new Presidential Working Unit which aims to promote, among other things, tolerance of the 6 officially recognised religions of Indonesia. We also welcome the ruling of the constitutional court in November 2017 permitting followers of traditional beliefs to state their faith on their identity cards. However, we remain concerned about treatment of non-Sunni Islamic groups, such as the Ahmadiyya and Shia communities who often face intolerance. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN most recently discussed it with the Indonesian Ambassador to London in January.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) human rights and (b) security situation in Ethiopia.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government has a number of concerns regarding the human rights situation in Ethiopia, in particular around freedom of expression and democratic accountability. These were discussed frankly with the Ethiopian Government at the UK-Ethiopia Human Rights Dialogue in November. We welcomed the Ethiopian Prime Minister's 3 January announcement on the release of imprisoned politicians, as a positive signal of movement towards opening up political space. We are concerned by recent clashes along the internal border between Somali Regional State and Oromia; especially where this has led to loss of life, displacement, or delayed the delivery of humanitarian assistance in response to drought. In recent bilateral dialogues with the Ethiopian Government, we have reinforced the need for all actors to resolve grievances peacefully rather than through violence, and for all security forces to exercise restraint. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism has the resources and the mandate to monitor the Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed by all parties on 21 December 2017.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government continues to provide financial, technical, and political support to the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) in South Sudan, as part of our support for the High Level Revitalisation Forum. We are working with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development ((IGAD) to ensure that CTSAMM is able to access areas where potential violations of the Cessations of Hostilities agreement may have taken place, and that they report on these in a timely manner. We strongly support the 25 January communiqué by the IGAD Council of Ministers, which demands that parties who have violated the Agreement to a Cessation of Hostilities submit their own reports to CTSAMM within one month, including the names of responsible individuals. We are urging IGAD to ensure that there are clear consequences for those that violate the agreement.

Gibraltar

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 124949, on Gibraltar, what assessment he has made of whether the inclusion of Gibraltar in the transition period requires the prior approval of Spain; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister has repeatedly made clear that Gibraltar is covered by the full scope of our exit negotiations, including for the implementation period and the future relationship. We will negotiate as one United Kingdom, and leave as one United Kingdom. We want a deal that works for the whole of the UK family, including the crown dependencies, the overseas territories including Gibraltar, and the devolved administrations.

Companies: British Overseas Territories

Jo Stevens: To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Overseas Territories on the issue of public listing corporations.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 27 December 2017 to question 119811.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Russia, (b) Turkey, (c) Iran and (d) the US on encouraging the de-escalation of fighting in the Idleb governorate in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The UK strongly condemns the recent escalation of airstrikes and violence in Idleb governorate, where multiple and sustained airstrikes by pro-regime forces have killed scores of civilians. We are appalled by reports of airstrikes by pro-regime forces indiscriminately targeting medical facilities in the area and reports of use of chemical weapons. We are gravely concerned that the intensification of hostilities has reportedly displaced approximately 270,000 people within Idleb since 15 December 2017. UK officials raised our concerns regarding the situation at the weekly International Syria Support Group Humanitarian and Ceasefire Taskforces in Geneva, of which Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United States are all members, on 1 February. The UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York also raised our concerns in the UN Security Council on 5 February. I issued statements on 16 January and 2 February calling for these attacks to stop and for the Asad regime to allow immediate, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance.  ​

North Korea: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations has he made to the Government of North Korea on human rights abuses in that country.

Mark Field: ​The UK has grave concerns about the human rights situation in North Korea. In our bilateral exchanges and in multilateral fora, we continue to call on the North Korean government to acknowledge and address the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country. In his end of session statement at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee in November last year, my noble friend Lord Ahmad welcomed the adoption by consensus of a resolution on North Korea and the international community's resolute condemnation of the North Korean regime's human rights abuses. I made clear when I summoned the North Korean Ambassador last year in response to its ballistic missile tests that North Korea should prioritise the well-being of its people over the illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Sanctions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, if he will published the assessments his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) UN and (b) EU sanctions against (i) individuals, (ii) corporations and (iii) other entities.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government regularly monitors the effectiveness of its sanctions regimes. Annual reports from the UN Security Council and from the regime-specific UN Panel of Experts assess the impact of sanctions. These documents are available to the public on the UN sanctions website. The Government conducts annual reviews of EU sanctions to ensure that they remain effective and sound. The reviews conducted by the Government are not published and there are no plans to do so.As drafted, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which is going through Parliament, will place a duty on the Government to review each sanctions regime annually to ensure that it remains appropriate for its stated purpose. This report will then be laid in Parliament and made publicly available.

Department for International Development

Syria: Politics and Government

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues about the humanitarian situation in Northern Syria.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State discusses regularly with Cabinet colleagues our response to the conflict in Syria and what more we can do collectively to address the appalling humanitarian situation. The UK can be proud of its humanitarian leadership on Syria; our aid is making a real difference to the lives of millions of people affected by the crisis, including in Northern Syria.

Department for Education

Carers

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what statutory guidance there is in respect of kinship care and special guardianship.

Nadhim Zahawi: Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288483/family-and-friends-care.pdf. Statutory guidance for local authorities on the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 (as amended by the Special Guardianship (Amendment) Regulations 2016) (January 2017) can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-guardianship-guidance.

Department for Education: Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many contracts his Department holds with Capita; and what the total value of those contracts is.

Anne Milton: The department has seven current contracts with Capita with a total value of £108 million.

Secure Accommodation

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secure accommodation places there are for children in England; what the capacity of those places is; and how many vacancies there are at present.

Nadhim Zahawi: There were 14 secure children’s homes in England at 31 March 2017 with a total capacity of 205 and 184 children accommodated. Hence, as at 31 March 2017, there were 21 vacancies.These figures were published in 2017 in the statistical first release ‘Children accommodated in secure children's homes: 31 March 2017’ (SFR23/2017), Children accommodated in secure children's homes: 31 March 2017.

Children: Mental Health

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle loneliness and social isolation among school-aged children.

Nick Gibb: On 17 January the Government announced that my hon. Friend, the Minister for Sport and Civil Society will lead a cross-government group which will take responsibility for driving action on loneliness. The Department will work as part of the group looking at what can be done to tackle loneliness and social isolation, especially for the most vulnerable children.The Department is funding a £700,000 pilot investigating ways to set up effective peer support for mental health and wellbeing in schools, and is also providing £1.5 million to support anti-bullying projects, such as the Diana Award Ambassador programme.The Department is currently conducting a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, which will be made statutory in primary and secondary schools respectively.The Government is also consulting on the green paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’ which includes further proposals to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, supported by over £300 million of funding. The green paper is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.

Office for Students

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 123365 on Office for Students, whether the selection criteria for the Office for Student’s student panel included a specific requirement in to appoint a disabled student.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Decisions regarding the appointments to the Student Panel are the responsibility of the Office for Students.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools teach awareness of violence against women and girls.

Nick Gibb: We have been actively engaging with a broad range of expert organisations about the potential curriculum content for the new compulsory subjects of Relationships Education (in Primary schools) and Relationships and Sex Education (in Secondary schools), and in considering whether to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education compulsory. We are considering how best to ensure pupils learn about healthy and respectful relationships. The evidence we gather from these discussions, along with the call for evidence that was launched in December and closes on 12 February 2018, will support the Government’s decisions on compulsory subject content. We will formally consult on the draft regulations and guidance before laying the regulations in the House for debate.

Curriculum

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of consulting children on the effectiveness of national curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The review of the national curriculum was launched on 20 January 2011, and the new national curriculum was introduced in September 2014. It provides a broad and balanced education ensuring all pupils gain core knowledge across a range of subjects so that they get the best start in life. The curriculum combines the best elements of the world’s most successful school systems, with some of the most impressive practice from schools in England. The review was open and transparent and we consulted widely, including with pupils and students. We have no plans for a further review. As part of Ofsted school inspections, inspectors seek the views of pupils on their experiences at school, including in relation to the curriculum, and have regard to those views in evaluating the school’s performance.

Collective Spirit Multi-Academy Trust

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Education and Skills Funding Agency requested Collective Spirit Multi Academy Trust to provide copies of invoices for related party transactions between the Academy Trust and Collective Community Partnerships either as part of its routine fact-finding review of Collective Spirit Free School in 2016 or otherwise.

Nadhim Zahawi: Yes, the Education and Skills Funding Agency did request copies of invoices for related party transactions between the Academy Trust and Collective Community Partnerships as part of its fact-finding visit in August 2016.

Schools: Inspections

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of new (a) academy schools, (b) free schools, (c) studio schools, (d) UTCs and (e) local authority maintained schools have failed their first Ofsted inspection; and what the average length of time has been before a new school is first inspected in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.

Collective Spirit Multi-Academy Trust

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) meetings (b) instances of correspondence and (c) telephone calls have there been between the Education Funding Agency and Collective Spirit Multi Academy Trust since that Trust was established.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Collective Spirit Multi-Academy Trust

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, If he will place in the Library (a) the applications from (i) Collective Spirit Free School in Oldham and (ii) the Manchester Creative Studio to her Department for the establishment of the Collective Spirit multi academy trust and (b) correspondence between her Department and those organisations relating to that multi academy trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: I will place a copy of applications from Collective Spirit Free School and Manchester Creative Studio in the Libraries of both Houses. Correspondence between the department and those organisations relating to the Trust is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Raja Miah

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any Minister of his Department has met with Raja Miah, the founder of the Collective Spirit Academy Trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: No Minister from the department has met with Raja Miah.

Further Education: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to write-off advanced learner loan debts for former learners affected by the collapse of John Frank Training Ltd, Edudo Ltd, and Focus Training & Development Ltd.

Anne Milton: The department has made sure that learners at these providers with Advanced Learner Loans have not entered repayment in this tax year to allow time for them to take up opportunities with other providers. The Student Loans Company will be contacting those learners again shortly regarding next steps.

Schools: Swimming

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) swimming lessons and (b) water safety lessons are a statutory requirement for all schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Swimming is a vital life skill. That is why we have made sure that swimming and water safety is compulsory in the national curriculum for PE at primary levels (key stages 1 and 2). The curriculum sets out the expectation that all pupils should be taught to:- swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres- use a range of strokes effectively; and- perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. There are no are no specific statutory requirements on secondary schools to provide swimming lessons. However, the key stage 3 PE curriculum sets out that pupils should build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in key stages 1 and 2, and become more competent, confident and expert in their technique. Swimming lessons are one way of doing this and swimming and platform diving are two of the permitted activities in the Activity List for GCSE and A level PE.

Revenue and Customs: Local Government

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria is for HMRC to make available to local authority children missing education officers contact details of the families concerned.

Nick Gibb: Nothing is more important than keeping children safe and in suitable education. Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to establish, as far as possible, the identities of children of compulsory school age in their area who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise. When the whereabouts of a child is unclear or unknown, local authorities should consider the individual facts of each case, and use their judgment to decide what would constitute reasonable enquiries in order to try to locate the child. The Department does not provide a prescriptive list of actions that should be completed when trying to locate a child. In some cases, it may be appropriate for local authorities to make enquiries via other agencies, including HMRC. There is no specific criteria they are required to meet in order to be provided this information. Any sharing of information must comply with the law relating to data protection, which should be in line with local arrangements for recording and sharing information. Further information can be found in our statutory guidance on Children Missing Education: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-missing-education.

Academies: Admissions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which academies and free schools have made applications to his Department to vary admissions requirements since 2016.

Nadhim Zahawi: Based on the information held by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, there have been 15 requests to vary admissions requirements by academies and free schools since January 2016. The attached table lists the academies and free schools.



Academies and free schools that made applications 
(Word Document, 13.18 KB)

Apprentices: Expenditure

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 125405, what his estimate is for spending on apprenticeships in the 2017-18 financial year.

Anne Milton: The department has made available £1.93 billion for apprenticeships in the 2017-18 financial year. We will publish our actual spending in the departmental annual report and accounts later this year.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of schools which are in financial deficit.

Nick Gibb: In July 2017 the Department announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. The Department trusts schools to manage their own budgets and only a small percentage are operating with a cumulative deficit, with far more schools having a surplus. The latest published figures for England’s schools showed 2,819 academy trusts and 14,498 local authority maintained schools reporting a cumulative surplus, with a total of more than £4 billion, against 165 academy trusts and 1,461 local authority maintained schools with a cumulative deficit, with a total deficit figure of less than £300 million. The Department continues to provide support to schools to help them use their resources in the most efficient way, so they can deliver the best value for the taxpayer.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of new schools opened since 2010 have had sprinkler systems installed; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government takes the safety of pupils and staff very seriously. All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations, including having a Fire Risk Assessment, designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.Where sprinklers are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe, following an assessment of risk at the design stage, or to meet local planning requirements, they must be fitted. All new school building projects must comply with Building Regulations, including on fire safety, and this must be independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied.As not all new schools in England are commissioned by the Department for Education, the Department does not hold data on the proportion of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers since 2010. The Department does hold information on the centrally funded Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). Of the 260 schools in phase one of PSBP, 74 have, or are planned to have, sprinklers fitted. As schools under phase two of PSBP are still in the early design stage, it is not yet clear which may require sprinklers at this time.The Department does not hold comprehensive data on the number of free schools fitted with sprinklers as schools developed under the free schools programme were originally managed by the individual free school proposer groups. The Department is doing further work that will enable us to provide figures on sprinklers fitted in all schools delivered centrally by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward findings from the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and from the Public Inquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average ages are of parents in (a) single parent and (b) two parent families who have at least one child receiving 30 hours of funded childcare.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children receiving 30 hours of funded childcare are in (a) single and (b) two parent families.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pupil Premium

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons Pupil Premium Plus is paid according to the financial not the academic year.

Nadhim Zahawi: Pupil Premium Plus funding is paid under the same arrangements as the, longer established, Pupil Premium grant which, in keeping with the Dedicated Schools Grant and wider local authority funding, is paid by financial rather than academic year.

Schools

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department holds information on the number of schools in England that are compliant with the Baker Clause.

Anne Milton: The department does not collect data on the number of schools that are compliant with the new duty, introduced on 2 January 2018. This requires the proprietor of all maintained schools and academies to provide the opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access pupils in year 8 to year 13, for the purpose of informing them of approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. We are taking a number of steps to make sure that the legislation is properly enforced. Our priority during the spring term is to raise the awareness amongst schools of their responsibilities. We have published new statutory guidance which explains in detail what schools are required to do. We are promoting the guidance to school governors, head teachers and careers leaders through a range of channels. Ofsted will take account of this statutory guidance when developing its approach to assessing careers provision. Matters relating to careers provision contribute to judgements under three of the four areas evaluated as part of school inspections. When during the course of a school inspection it becomes clear that statutory requirements are not being met, and this is a contributory factor in explaining why pupils are not achieving their potential, it will be considered for inclusion in the inspection report as a key point for improvement. The statutory guidance includes additional information of the department’s approach to cases of suspected non-compliance with the duty and statutory guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the apprenticeship levy on the number of apprenticeships being offered by non-levy paying SMEs that co-invest 10 per cent of the cost of training an apprentice.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy is paid by employers with a payroll of over £3 million a year. These employers are able to spend funds they have paid into the levy through their apprenticeship service account. All other employers use funds that have been allocated to providers, who offer apprenticeship training. We have recently awarded hundreds of providers across the country with initial awards totalling around £485 million to deliver apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers. Data on apprenticeship starts is published in our ‘FE Data Library: apprenticeships’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships. Smaller employers are encouraged to take advantage of support available including the government co-investment of 90 percent of training and assessment costs for apprenticeships. This means employers only pay 10 percent towards the costs of apprenticeship training. The government believes that employers benefit from making this direct financial contribution, through taking greater ownership and responsibility for the costs. Under the new funding rules, 100 per cent of the cost of training is paid for small employers, with fewer than 50 employees, who take on apprentices who are 16 to 18 years old, 19 to 24 year old care leavers or 19 to 24 year olds with an Education and Health Care Plan.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date his Department plans to release updated information on the proportion of childcare codes validated for the current term of 30 hours of free childcare.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department will release updated information on the proportion of childcare codes validated for the 2018 spring term for 30 hours of free childcare on 8 February 2018. The update will be uploaded alongside the other 30 hours management information releases and will appear here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion of children in reception classes that are receiving free school meals.

Nadhim Zahawi: Although all children in infant classes can receive a free meal under universal infant free school meals, the school census still records which children would have been eligible for a free school meal (FSM) under the criteria used for later school years. Of the 663,796 reception pupils in the January 2017 census, 92,733 are recorded as having been eligible for an FSM under these rules. This accounts for 14% of reception pupils.

Leader of the House

Roads: Palace of Westminster

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, if she will make representations to (a) Transport for London and (b) utility companies to prevent non-urgent roadworks being carried out in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster when the House is sitting; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: It would be a matter for the House of Commons Commission to decide whether to make representations to Transport for London or any utility companies regarding road works being carried out near the Palace while the House is sitting.

Roads: Palace of Westminster

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, if she was consulted on the non-urgent works on Abingdon Street that resulted in road vehicle access to and from the south entrance of the Palace of Westminster being closed.

Andrea Leadsom: The works were planned by Westminster City Council in conjunction with the Parliamentary Strategic Estates Department in order to carry out essential improvements to power and IT services for Members and staff across the estate and resurface roads. These are part of the annual works plan and as such were approved via the annual estimate by the House of Commons Commission. The contractor is liaising with parliamentary authorities to minimise disruption across the estate during the day and these arrangements will be kept under constant review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Exports

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that plastic waste exported from the UK is being used in an environmentally-friendly way.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Businesses involved in the shipment of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. The UK environmental regulators take an intelligence led approach to checking compliance with these obligations focussing on specific problematic wastes. Enforcement activity occurs in transit, at roadsides and at ports. However, the regulators continue to focus significant effort on identifying, stopping and intervening at source prior to illegal exports taking place. The regulators also provide easily understood guidance for those responsible for exporting waste which allows anyone involved in the export of waste to determine which wastes can be legitimately exported to which countries and the procedures they must follow to do things legally. Last year the Environment Agency issued 130 stop notices, prohibiting the export of unsuitable waste. It also stopped 4,565 tonnes of waste destined for illegal export at ports and intervened further upstream to prevent a further 15,113 tonnes of waste from reaching our ports. This work ensures we’re not exporting our problem wastes for unsuitable treatment or disposal. We cannot ultimately dictate how UK waste is managed once it leaves the UK. There is a system of international rules on shipments which must be followed. The authorities in countries that receive UK waste also need to be clear about the types of waste they will accept and the waste import procedures they require exporters to adhere to. Tackling waste is a top priority for the government. The Clean Growth Strategy, published on 12 October 2017, set out our ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050 and announced we are exploring changes to the producer responsibility scheme. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce overall and increase the amount we recycle in the UK. We will set out further steps when we publish a new Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to increase domestic recycling of waste produced in the UK which had previously been exported abroad.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Waste should be treated according to the waste hierarchy, which places prevention at the top as it offers the best outcome for the environment, followed by preparing for re-use, recycling, other recovery and then disposal.China’s decision underlines the need for progress in all these areas. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce overall and in particular the amount we export to be dealt with elsewhere. In our 25 Year Environment we outlined that we will develop our producer responsibility schemes, to better incentivise producers to design more resource efficient products and to ensure we recycle as much as possible.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average amount of household waste that is recyclable.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We do not have recent estimates on the average amount of household waste that could be recycled. Data on waste arisings are not structured around the material composition of waste streams so we cannot provide detailed information on the amount of waste in the residual waste stream that could be recycled.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the brief for the IT system which is to be commissioned to replace the EU REACH regulation for chemicals.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I can confirm that we do not intend to run a specific tender for this system as we have recently run a competition for a Digital Development partner and we are about to commence Alpha build. As set out in the Secretary of State’s Ministerial Direction on 19 January, we are scheduled to commence building the new IT system in February 2018. The direction enables urgent spending in a small number of instances where delay would jeopardise our readiness for withdrawal from the EU. We do not intend to publish a brief for the IT system as it will be developed using an iterative agile software development approach where requirements are continuously refined as development progresses.

Chemicals: EU Law

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department's risk assessment of leaving the EU REACH regulatory system.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, to be careful not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. We want to secure the best possible outcome for UK industry in upcoming negotiations – a partnership underpinned by high standards, a practical approach to regulation and the greatest possible access to European markets. We will continue to engage with UK industry to shape our negotiating position.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release on backstreet puppy breeders, published on 2 February 2018, whether dog breeders meeting the standards of the UKAS certified Assured Breeder Scheme will be automatically classified as low risk.

George Eustice: Under the new animal activities licensing scheme, if a licensed dog breeder is certified by a body that is accredited by UKAS they will be automatically classified as low risk, unless the local authority finds significant evidence of poor animal welfare or non-compliance. This will allow local authorities to focus their resources on identifying and targeting illegal back street breeding.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dog breeders were licensed by local authorities in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, and c) 2017.

George Eustice: We do not hold such information. Local authorities are responsible for issuing licences for dog breeders. However, according to a report by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2015 entitled Licensed Dog Breeding in Great Britain and based on a Freedom of Information Act request of all local authorities, there were 895 licensed dog breeders in Great Britain.

Fishing Catches

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to maintain the discard ban on fish after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The UK Government remains fully committed to ending the wasteful practice of discarding after the UK leaves the EU and will continue to work with the industry to address this issue.

Fisheries

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on banning the use of electric pulse fishing in UK waters after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The original ban on fishing methods using electric current in EU legislation was followed by a specific derogation to permit electric pulse beam trawl fishing under certain conditions. Those arrangements are currently under consideration. We will continue to consider all the scientific evidence to inform our negotiations on the EU approach and to develop the UK’s future fisheries regime. The government does have concerns about some of the impacts of pulse trawling. Whatever the outcome on pulse fishing agreed in EU legislation, once we leave the EU we will decide the terms of access to UK waters. That will give us the ability to ban certain approaches where the latest scientific evidence indicates that is necessary.

Plastics: Leeds

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the volume of plastic waste has left the recycling and energy recovery facility in Leeds that has been exported for (i) landfill and (ii) incineration.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Leeds Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility is operated by Veolia ES Leeds Ltd and is regulated by the Environment Agency. The information submitted to the Environment Agency by Veolia ES Leeds Ltd does not show any export of plastic for landfill or incineration.

Livestock: Transport

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been for (a) the illegal transportation of live farm animal exports and (b) consignments that failed to meet animal welfare standards in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such prosecutions were successful.

George Eustice: In England, Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO). Local Authorities will take prosecution action when serious welfare issues relating to the transport of live animals have been identified. As action is taken by individual Local Authorities, we do not hold specific data as to whether the action was taken against a transporter exporting live animals. We do have data on the number of successful convictions in England and Wales made under WATEO and the equivalent legislation in Wales each year, which is published in the “Return of expenditure incurred and prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981 and incidences of disease in imported animals” presented each year to Parliament. In the last five years there has been the following number of successful convictions under WATEO: Year20132014201520162017Convictions14158212

Dogs: Sales

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage puppy buyers to seek out Assured Breeders.

George Eustice: Defra has published information on the Government’s official website GOV.UK advising prospective owners how to source a puppy responsibly. It recommends seeking advice on acquiring the puppy from a reputable source such as the Kennel Club and provides a link to their website. We are also updating the laws on breeding and selling dogs. One of the improvements is that licensed breeders who are members of an organisation which has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service will be considered as lower risk and as such may be entitled to a longer licence, unless the local authority finds evidence of poor animal welfare or non-compliance.

Water Companies: Standards

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many water companies missed their leakage targets in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No companies missed their leakage targets for the financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16. Six companies missed their leakage targets in 2016/17. These were: Water companyPerformance commitment (Million litres per day)Actual performance (Million litres per day)Bristol Water4747.4Essex and Suffolk Water66.0068.08Portsmouth Water29.9530.37Sutton and East Surrey Water24.3024.34Cambridge Water13.514.32Thames Water630677 The reported level of performance is based on Ofwat’s 2014 Price Review (PR14) methodology.Leakage figures for all the water companies in England and Wales are available at Discover Water https://discoverwater.co.uk/leaking-pipes.

Salmon

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the cessation of all drift net salmon fishing in 2018 on salmon stocks.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The 2014 assessment of salmon stocks showed the lowest population levels in our rivers nationally on record. In response to this ongoing decline, the Environment Agency has proposed new measures to reduce the exploitation of salmon by net fisheries. It is estimated that these measures affecting the drift net fisheries would enable 16,000 more salmon and sea trout to return to our rivers to spawn annually, providing opportunity for future recovery of the species.

Livestock Industry: Fees and Charges

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on food prices of Environment Agency proposals to increase permit variation fees for pig and poultry farmers; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency’s analysis suggests that there should be no significant overall impact on the agriculture sector from the proposed new charges. The main drivers of food prices are commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices, and there is no evidence to suggest that the Environment Agency’s charging proposals will affect these. The proposed charge increases amount to less than 0.1% of the agriculture sector’s economic output. The Environment Agency has consulted widely on the proposals, and will continue to work with the agricultural sector to manage the impact of any changes.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which Government Department commissioned the report on EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which Government Departments contributed to the report on EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on what date the report on EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing was commissioned.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on what date the first draft of the report on EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing was finalised.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which ministers were entitled to view the document EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing.

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on what date the modelling was undertaken for the document EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing.

Mr Robin Walker: We are complying with the motion of the Humble Address of 31st January to share this analysis with the Exiting the EU Select Committee and all members on a confidential basis. This document contains provisional internal analysis, as part of a broad ongoing programme of analysis. As Ministers clearly set out in the House, this analysis does not represent Government policy. The work is a cross-Whitehall exercise. It has not been led by any single Department. The pack has only recently started to be shown to Ministers on the European Union Exit and Trade (Strategy and Negotiations) sub-Committee in order to get their input and feedback on how this analysis can be improved. It is not standard practice to provide an running commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government.

Scientific Review Group

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with EU negotiators on the continued participation of the UK in the Scientific Review Group after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Our future relationship with the EU is the subject of negotiations. As part of exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States our future status and arrangements with regard to these bodies. As we exit the EU we would welcome agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union,  how many employees of his Department make use of the childcare voucher scheme.

Mr Steve Baker: I can confirm as at 31 January 2018 there were 20 DExEU staff receiving childcare vouchers. The Department for Exiting the European Union shares a childcare voucher scheme with the Cabinet Office therefore these figures are also included as part of their return.

Brexit: East Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the West Midlands Mayor on the effect on the economy of the West Midlands of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Robin Walker, has attended a series of roundtables hosted by the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street CBE. These were very positive meetings where the Minister met with representatives from the manufacturing, life sciences and university sectors. The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with all the regional Mayors. The Combined Authorities are an important regional stakeholder and we value the productive relationship we have built with their mayors since their election in May. We are working closely with them and other stakeholders from around the UK to understand the potential impact and opportunities presented by EU exit.

Brexit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the NAO report entitled The Department for Exiting the European Union and the centre of government, HC 593, published on 17 November 2017, if he will place a list of the 313 Exit work streams identified in that report in the Library.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the report of the National Audit Office, The Department for Exiting the European Union and the centre of government, HC 593, published on 17 November 2017, if he will make available to (a) the Select Committee for Exiting the European Union and (b) all Members of Parliament, on a confidential basis, the 313 Exit work streams identified in that report.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union is working closely with all departments to ensure our preparations for exit from and new partnership with the EU are on track. The Department has established a series of arrangements to coordinate departments’ planning and delivery. As indicated in the National Audit Office report, departments have identified Exit work streams that are used to structure engagement with DExEU. The structure and development of work streams is part of ongoing cross-Government work to develop and assess potential policy options. The number of work streams is being updated regularly but because the nature of this internal work could be sensitive to ongoing negotiations, we will not be publishing the full list.

Trade Agreements: Switzerland

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 125248 on trade agreements, whether the 20 EU-Switzerland joint committees to oversee bilateral agreements will be replicated by UK-Switzerland joint committees.

Mr Steve Baker: As the Secretary of State made clear in his speech in Teesside last month, the existing international agreements we are party to should continue to apply during the implementation period. Once the implementation period ends, we will no longer be participants in the EU's international agreements. We will continue to work with third countries, including Switzerland, to agree how best to ensure continuity beyond the Implementation Period.

Trade Agreements

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to his Answer of 1 February to Question 125248 on Trade Agreements, whether the continuity for business, investors and consumers will include UK membership of the (a) European Free Trade Association and (b) European Economic Area Joint Committee in order to maintain economic relations with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Mr Steve Baker: The UK is not currently a member of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). We have no plans to join EFTA. During the implementation period, the existing international agreements to which we are a party should continue to apply, including the EEA Agreement which governs crucial elements of our trading and non-trading relationship with the EEA EFTA states. Once the implementation period ends, we will no longer be participants in the EU's international agreements, including the EEA Agreement. We will instead seek to put in place new arrangements to maintain our relationship with these states.

Trade Agreements: Switzerland

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2018 to Question 125209 on Trade Agreements, whether an agreement to maintain the EU free trade arrangements with Switzerland will require the maintenance of provisions for the free movement of people.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2018 to Question 125209 on trade agreements, whether in maintaining the effects of existing EU free trade agreements with Norway, the UK will maintain the existing provisions for free movement.

Mr Robin Walker: We will be seeking, wherever possible, to secure continuity with third countries as we withdraw from the EU. During the implementation period, the existing international agreements we are party to should continue to apply, including the EEA Agreement, Swiss- EU bilaterals and other agreements which govern the crucial elements of our trading and non-trading relationship with the EFTA states of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. We have said that people should be able to continue to live, work and visit the UK during the implementation period but there will be a registration system in preparation for our future immigration regime. Once the implementation period ends, we will no longer participate in these agreements and will need to put in place new arrangements with these countries. After we leave we will put in place an immigration system which works in the best interests of the whole of the UK. The UK will remain open for business; a country which recognises the valuable contribution migrants make to our society and welcomes those with the skills and expertise to make our nation better still.

Attorney General

Slavery: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions under the Modern Slavery Act in 2017 were for cases involving victims under 18.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on its Case Management Information System. These data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s. During the most recently available year, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse, is as follows:- 2016-2017-Child Abuse Flagged OffencesTotal OffencesModern Slavery Act 2015 { 1(1)(a) and 5(1) }013Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1(1)(b) and 5(1) }010Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2(1) and 5(1) }2173Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 and 5(2) }01Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 and 5(3) }01Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.

Forensic Science

Ben Lake: To ask the Attorney General, if he will make an estimate of the number of cases that have collapsed before going to trial due to private forensic firms having been found not to have followed correct procedures as referred to in the 2017 Annual Report of the Forensic Science Regulator, published in January 2018.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of cases that have collapsed before going to trial due to the failure of private forensic firms to follow the correct procedures.The CPS continues to work with the Home Office, police and the office of the Forensic Science Regulator to assess the impact of issues relating to Randox Testing Services, on completed and ongoing cases, to ensure that appropriate action is taken.

Wales Office

Trade: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on future trade policy.

Alun Cairns: I hold regular discussions with members of the Welsh Government on a range of issues including the future of the UK’s trade policy. Most recently, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and I met with the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance. My Cabinet colleagues and I are committed to continued engagement with the Welsh Government and the other Devolved Administrations as we develop a trade policy that works for the whole of the UK.

Devolution

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the timetable is for the agreement of UK frameworks with the devolved administrations after the UK leaves the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Government is working closely with the devolved administrations and stakeholders across the United Kingdom to identify where common frameworks are needed after the UK leaves the EU. We will shortly publish our analysis of the areas where we believe legislative and non-legislative frameworks are needed. We believe that common frameworks will not be required in the majority of areas where EU law intersects with devolved competence or can be achieved through non-legislative means.

Ministry of Justice

Gov Facility Services: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff are employed by Gov Facility Services Limited.

Dr Phillip Lee: Following the transfer of staff from Carillion, Gov Facility Services Limited will employ circa 900 staff.

Gov Facility Services

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has plans to privatise or contract out any of the work of Gov Facility Services Limited.

Dr Phillip Lee: When Gov Facility Services Limited becomes operational its immediate priority is to maintain the delivery of facilities management services to prisons. It is too early to determine the precise plans to privatise or contract out any of the work of Gov Facility Services Limited or advise on any future recruitment plans.

Gov Facility Services: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff of his Department are responsible for managing Gov Facility Services Limited.

Dr Phillip Lee: The services agreement with Gov Facility Services Limited will be overseen by members of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) National Service Management Team. The team consists of 97 staff Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and are responsible for monitoring the delivery of contracts for all outsourced prison maintenance by private sector companies.

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate the Government has made of the potential savings to the public purse of outsourcing the work currently carried out by civilian enforcement officers.

Lucy Frazer: Contracting out all Warrant of Arrest work has the potential to deliver savings in resource of over £18m over the life of the contract (5 years).

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what services his Department plans to (a) privatise and (b) outsource to the private sector over the next five years.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice decides on make-or-buy options using different timescales for different works and services. Decisions are made following rigorous governance where different options are robustly assessed against the value-for-money criteria. Preliminary discussions are subject to commercial sensitivity, however all live outsourcing processes are published on the Governments Contract Finder website

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Audit Office Report, Investigation into changes to Community Rehabilitation Company contracts, published in December 2017, what steps he is taking to ensure that projected payments to Community Rehabilitation Companies will not be allocated on executive pay.

Lucy Frazer: We changed Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts in summer 2017 so that payments to providers are more reflective of the costs of delivering services to offenders. CRCs continue to be paid based on the activities they deliver to offenders and their performance in reducing reoffending. They have not received additional one-off payments as a result of these contract changes. We hold providers robustly to account for their performance. This includes monitoring their expenditure to ensure they prioritise actions to meet their obligations under the contract.

Askham Grange Prison

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a decision has been made on the future of Askham Grange Women's Prison.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. Our reforms will close ageing and ineffective prisons and replace them with buildings fit for today’s demands. As we previously announced in 2013, it remains our intention to close HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Askham Grange. No closure date has yet been set for this establishment.

Offenders: Fines

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the administrative costs of recovering money from offenders in court-ordered financial impositions for April to September (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The administrative costs of compliance and enforcement activity within HM Courts and Tribunals Service in the periods April to September 2016 and April to September 2017 were as follows:Costs 2016 (April to September)2017 (April to September)Staffing costs£19,097,108£18,424,709Non- staffing costs£2,997,439£3,313,036Total costs£22,094,547£21,737,745 The figures provided represent the position at the end of September in each respective fiscal year. The staffing costs include permanent staff, Fixed Term Contract staff and Agency Staff. The Non-Staffing costs include Estate Costs (Utilities, Rent, Maintenance), IT, Telephony, and other running costs.Cash collections increased over the 2 years in question from £381 million in 2015/16 to £441 million in 2016/17.

Prisoners

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which public body has decision-making power in (a) releasing prisoners and (b) a category review.

Lucy Frazer: Prisoners are released in accordance with the statutory provisions laid down by Parliament, either by the Secretary of State or by the independent Parole Board, depending on the type of sentence the courts have imposed. Determinate sentences – that is, those of a fixed length – have an automatic release date at which point the Secretary of State has a statutory duty to release the prisoner. In some cases, there is a discretion for the Secretary of State to release before the automatic release date, for example, under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme, where the decision to release (on a tag) is taken on behalf of the Secretary of State by prison governors. Indeterminate sentences – that is, life imprisonment or Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) – have a minimum period (the tariff) imposed by the court that the offender must spend in custody, after which the decision on whether to release can only be taken by the Parole Board. Some forms of determinate sentence also have a period of discretionary release by the Board, for example, extended sentences for serious sexual or violent offenders where release before the end point is for the Board to decide. For prisoners subject to Parole Board release, there is a statutory release test which requires the Board to be satisfied that detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. Rule 7 of the Prison Rules 1999 governs categorisation. Prisoners are categorised by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in accordance with the Secretary of State’s published policy. Decisions to categorise a prisoner as Category A are taken centrally by HMPPS while other categorisation decisions are taken at prison level. When assessing indeterminate sentence prisoners for open conditions, the advice of the Parole Board is sought, other than in exceptional circumstances.

John Worboys

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons were for his Department's decision not to seek a judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision to release John Worboys.

Lucy Frazer: As the Secretary of State said in his statement of 19 January, after careful consideration of expert legal advice, he decided it would not be appropriate for him, as Justice Secretary, to proceed with a judicial review against the Parole Board decision to release John Worboys. I fully support the right of victims and others to take their own legal advice and to challenge the Parole Board’s decision. Legal aid generally remains available for advice, assistance and representation in relation to a judicial review. This would include decisions of the Parole Board.

Electronic Tagging

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 15th Report of Session 2017-19 by the Public Accounts Committee, Offender-monitoring tags, HC 458, what estimate his Department has made of the savings generated by outsourcing electronic monitoring compared with the estimated cost of providing that service in-house in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Electronic monitoring is a vital tool in improving supervision in the community and supports offenders to reform and lead law abiding lives on release. The Electronic Monitoring service has always been delivered using a contracted infrastructure. Estimating the cost of a public sector delivery model could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Capita

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether and on how many occasions he has met Capita to discuss the issues raised by the Public Accounts Committee report on outsourced electronic monitoring.

Lucy Frazer: There have been no meetings between the Secretary of State and Capita representatives to discuss the recently published Public Accounts Committee report.Electronic monitoring is a vital tool in improving supervision in the community and supports offenders to reform and lead law abiding lives on release.My officials in the Ministry of Justice hold regular meetings with Capita staff involved in the delivery of the Electronic Monitoring service to hold them to account for delivery of the service. They have discussed with Capita the action being taken to address concerns raised by the Public Accounts Committee.

John Worboys

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his oral contribution on 23 January 2018, Official Report, column 119, for what reason he has refused to establish an end-to-end review of the whole John Worboys case; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Justice Secretary made a statement to Parliament on this matter on 19 January. It is clear that this case raised issues with the parole process as a whole. That is why the Justice Secretary announced that the Ministry of Justice will be conducting a review considering the transparency of decisions by the Parole Board and how we properly engage victims in the process in all cases. The review will also include consideration of the law, policy, guidance and practice relating to challenges to Parole Board decision-making.

Parole Board

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the review of the transparency of Parole Board decision-making.

Lucy Frazer: The review of the transparency of Parole Board decision- making remains a priority for the Government. The intention is that we will have completed the review by Easter.

Business: Fraud

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he plans to publish the outcome of the call for evidence on corporate liability for economic crime.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph (J) of the Government's Consultation Principles, updated in January 2016, for what reasons the results of the call for evidence on Corporate Liability for Economic Crime have not been published.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice carried out a call for evidence on corporate criminal liability for economic crime in 2017, to establish whether further reform of the law was necessary. The response will issue in due course.

*No heading*

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to offer support to relatives who are dissatisfied with the result of an inquest.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice’s Guide to Coroner Services, which is aimed at bereaved families, sets out how inquest conclusions can be challenged. There are two ways of doing so: either through an application to the High Court with the authority of the Attorney General, or by way of judicial review. The Guide is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-coroner-services-and-coroner-investigations-a-short-guide

Courts: Reform

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the court reform programme.

Lucy Frazer: The Secretary of State for Justice has had a range of discussions with Cabinet colleagues about the work of this Department including the work of the courts. A number of Departments have a direct interest in the Court Service and he keeps his Cabinet colleagues updated on the progress of the court reform programme.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Alex Norris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to expand the use of local non-profit organisations to increase voter registration among minority groups.

Alex Norris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging local non-profit organisations to increase voter registration among minority groups.

Chloe Smith: National Democracy Week is a UK-wide campaign of events and activity that aims to increase the number of people who understand and participate in our democratic process. The government recognises the vital role that civil society organisations play in reaching those groups that are less likely to be registered to vote. We are working closely with non-profit groups through the National Democracy Week Council to mobilise activity at a local level and coordinate engagement with different communities.

Carillion

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to impose conditions on contractors taking over public contracts from Carillion; and if he will make a statement.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that any new contractors taking over Carillion’s public contracts honour existing sub-contracts for work (a) undertaken and (b) yet to take place.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for securing new contractors to take over Carillion's public contracts.

Oliver Dowden: The Official Receiver is conducting an orderly liquidation of the company. Our priority is the continuity of public services. We have plans in place to ensure the continued delivery of all public sector services, and all staff engaged on these public sector service contracts will continue to be paid.